GIFT  OF 
Ella  Sterling  Mighels 


THE  FAIRY-FOLK  OF  BLUE  HILL 


THE  FAIRY-FOLK  OF  BLUE  HILL 


BY 

LILY   F.  WESSELHOEFT 

4^ 

Author  of  "SPARROW  THE  TRAMP,"  Etc. 


ILLUSTRATED 


BOSTON 
JOSEPH    KNIGHT   COMPANY 


COPYRIGHT,  1894 

BY 

JOSEPH  KNIGHT  COMPANY 


PUBLISHED    BY 
J°SEPM  KNIGHT  CQ/APANY, 

A          6°ST°N, 


NTEN    S 


CHAP.  PAGE 

I.  THE  MisruiKYnrs   PRANK  «>K  -Jin    GNOMES     .  i 

II.     WHAT  THI:  P>KO\VN   Hii  111    S\\v 14 

III.  WASSA'S  'I'm  IT 28 

IV.  FAIRY  \\i-.\.\.  AND   PLOT  OP  G  ...  42 
V.     WA.-SA   MARKS  A   PLAN 58 

VI.  THK  FIATS  AND  GNOMES  TO  nil    RESCUI      .  74 

VII.     FAIRYLAND 84 

VIII.     WASSA   C><>\-  TO    FAIRYI.ANH 99 

IX.  THE  BROWN   P.IIIII    I  NDKRTAKI-    \   IfBOOM  114 

X.    THK   LAND  <  >i     in:    .\IIIK-I.I.O\V i  jS 

XI.     \\'A>SA   Ri-.-n-RNs    10   FAIRYLAND 143 

XII.  THK   FAIRY   PKINVK  AND    nil    Mi  RMAIDS     .     .  157 

XIII.  WA->A   GOES    D>    IHK    I.XND   Ol    TH1     MID-PAY 

M....N  AND   I-'IND>  THE    I-'AIKY   I'KINCI:    .     .  171 

XIV.     THK   FAIRY   PRINVK  AND  \\'A»A 183 

XV.  WASSA  CAfirRi>  mi.    I-'AIKY   PRIMT.     .     .     .  198 

XVI.  CLOUDCATCHER  AND  Hi>  Pi                   .     •     .214 

XVII.  THE  LITTI.K  CIRAY   MAN'-   DECISION       .     .     .  225 


The  departure  of  the  giants Frontispiece. 


Illuminated  Title vii 

Headpiece  to  Table  of  Contents ix 

Tailpiece  to  Table  of  Contents ix 

Headpiece  to  List  of  Illustrations xi 

Tailpiece  to  List  of  Illustrations xiii 

Headpiece  to  Chapter  I i 

"They  silently  gathered  about  the  sleeping  giant  cook"  .  .  6 

"  As  in  their  midst  stood  a  little  gray  man".  . 10 

"  Up  the  steep  hill  the  gnomes  toiled  " 16 

"  A  beautiful  blue  dragon-fly  alighted  on  a  stone  near  by  "  .  18 

Tailpiece  to  Chapter  II 27 

"  Her  parents  had  recently  built  a  hut  on  the  shore  of 

Lily  Pond" 33 

"  Wassa  skilfully  extricated  the  fishes  " 35 

Tailpiece  to  Chapter  III 41 

"  It  was  little  Mona,  the  hunter's  child  " 45 

"  Toto  the  Slim  was  seen  astride  the  limb  of  an  oak  "...  50 

"  As  the  song  ceased,  the  gnomes  paused  in  their  work  "  .  .  55 
"The  two  giants  who  were  to  carry  away  the  hut  cautiously 

approached 6r 

xi 


xii  LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

"  Mona's  light  cap  fell  off  " 7° 

"  Carefully  she  caught  the  boughs  that  came  in  her  way  "  .  .  72 

Tailpiece  to  Chapter  V 73 

Headpiece  to  Chapter  VI 74 

"  Others  blew  long  blasts  " 77 

"  At  a  table  .  .  .  sat  King  Rondo  " 81 

Headpiece  to  Chapter  VII 84 

"  The  gnomes,  at  the  bidding  of  King  Rondo,  gently  lifted 

the  hunter's  little  maid  " 85 

"My  dear,  where  hast  thou  been  so  long  ?"  . 89 

"  I  came  to  see  the  beautiful  things  that  Mona,  the  hunter's 

maid  told  me  about " 102 

"  The  little  maid  bent  forward  and  gazed  eagerly  into  the 

turbid  water !' 104 

"A  large  bird  with  a  hideous  face  and  long  bill  flew  close  to 

her" 1 06 

Headpiece  to  Chapter  IX 114 

"  Help !  screamed  Wassa,  striving  vainly  to  extricate  herself  "  123 

Tailpiece  to  Chapter  IX 127 

"Gradually  the  column  of  mist  assumed  the  form  of  a  beau 
tiful  female  figure  "  129 

"In  a  crotch  of  the  huge  tree  was  Judge  Owl  " 132 

"  Rockroller  approached  the  mass  of  rock  " 139 

Tailpiece  to  Chapter  X 142 

"  He  amused  himself  by  reaching  far  over  the  edge  of  the 

pond" 151 

"  After  a  tedious  \\alk,  the  cave  of  the  birds  was  reached  "  .  152 

"The  delicate  form  of  a  fairy  appeared  within  " 155 

Tailpiece  to  Chapter  XI 156 

"  A  fairy  boat  that  sailed  rapidly  toward  the  prince  and 

Wassa" 1 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PACK 

"  The  monarch  of  the  sea  "  162 

"So  engaged  in  watching  the  mermaids  was  Wassa"  .  ...  167 

Headpiece  to  Chapter  X  1 1 1  171 

"  She  beheld  a  beautiful  palace  of  the  purest  crystal "  ...  173 

"  She  sprang  joyfully  forward  to  seize  a  luscious  plum  "  .  .  177 
••  The  Prince  and  Wassa  seated  themselves  on  the  beautiful 

creature's  back  " 188 

"  The  eagle  spread  his  long  wings  and  soared  into  the  sky  "  .  190 

"  The  dark  head  of  a  rattlesnake  came  into  view  " 196 

Tailpiece  to  Chapter  XIV 197 

"  She  constantly  reared  her  head  to  gaze  into  the  kettle"  .  .  200 

"  A  light  form  stood  before  her  " 206 

"  Wassa  looked  up,  and  saw,  over  the  top  of  the  huge  rock, 

the  head  of  a  giant  " 210 

King  Cloudcatcher,  holding  his  hood  in  his  hand  "  ....  215 

'•  A  merry  twinkle  came  into  the  king's  bright  eyes"  ....  221 

Tailpiece  to  Chapter  XVI 224 

"And  placing  the  elf  on  the  top  of  it  " 226 

"  The  giant  Twigtwister  " 234 

Tailpiece  to  Chapter  XVII 240 


THE   FAIRY-FOLK  OF  THE 
BLUE   HILL. 


CHAPTER  I. 


Hundreds  and  hundreds  of  years  ago,  dear 
children,  there  lived  on  the  beautiful  Blue 
Hill  a  family  of  giants. 

Peaceable  fellows,  in  the  main,  were  these 
giants,  usually  living  in  harmony  with  one  an 
other,  although  deep  mutterings  were  occa 
sionally  heard  to  issue  from  the  neighborhood 
of  the  hill ;  these  sometimes  grew  so  loud  that 


2  THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

they  shook  the  earth,  and  then  the  timid  rab 
bits  scurried  into  their  holes,  and  the  sensitive 
birds  hastened  to  hide  themselves  in  the 
depths  of  the  wood,  thinking  a  thunder  storm 
was  coming. 

The  brown  beetle,  however,  knew  better. 
He  knew,  when  he  heard  these  sounds,  that 
the  giants  were  quarrelling.  He  had  seen  the 
little  man  in  gray,  who  always  appeared  when 
the  quarrels  became  violent,  and  the  brown 
beetle  knew  well  the  power  this  little  man  pos 
sessed  over  the  great  blustering  fellows, —  he 
knew  how  quickly  all  disputes  ceased  when 
the  little  figure,  clad  in  gray,  appeared  in  their 
midst. 

The  brown  beetle  knew  wrell  this  little  gray 
man,  whom  the  timid  rabbits  and  birds  thought 
to  be  but  a  streak  of  mist.  Oh!  the  brown 
beetle  could  have  told  them  many  a  tale,  if 
they  would  but  have  listened  to  him  !  It  is 
not  to  be  wondered  at,  that  they  thought  the 
little  gray  man  but  a  streak  of  mist,  for  they 
were  too  much  frightened  to  take  a  good  look 
at  him. 

The  brown  beetle,  though  of  dull  mind, 
understood  fully  the  power  of  the  little  gray 


THE  MISCHIEVOUS  PRANK  OF  THE  GNOMES.        3 

man  over  the  great  and  powerful  giants  with 
their  childish  minds.  He  knew,  although  his 
slow  brain  could  not  have  expressed  it  in 
words,  that  the  great,  childish  fellows  felt  the 
power  of  the  stronger  mind  of  the  little  man 
in  gray,  who  controlled  their  natures,  since 
they  could  not  do  it  themselves. 

As  we  said  before,  the  giants  were  usually 
good-natured,  and  if  they  did  no  great  good, 
certainly  did  no  great  harm.  They  amused 
themselves  by  striding  about  the  country, 
reaching  the  neighboring  towns  in  half  a  dozen 
good  strides, —  fishing  in  the  surrounding 
ponds,  and  basking  in  the  sunlight  that  lay  on 
the  sides  of  the  Blue  Hill. 

The  quarrels  among  the  giants  seldom 
amounted  to  more  than  a  few  high  words  that 
were  soon  forgotten,  as  is  the  case  of  brothers 
and  sisters  of  the  human  family;  but  these 
giants  had  enemies,  and,  strange  to  say,  these 
enemies,  the  only  ones  they  feared,  were  the 
very  opposite  of  themselves,  as  small  as  they 
were  large,  and  were  no  other  than  the  small 
gnomes  or  dwarfs  who  lived  in  underground 
caves  and  beneath  large  stones. 

It  would  seem  as  if  the  great  giants  might 


4  THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

have  taken  care  of  themselves,  but  strange  as 
it  may  seem,  they  were  no  match  for  the  wary 
little  dwarfs,  who,  having  ten  times  more 
brains  in  their  little  heads  than  the  giants  had 
in  their  great  empty  noddles,  drove  the  giants 
almost  to  distraction  by  their  impish  and  in 
genious  tricks. 

Early  one  morning,  the  giants  departed  for  a 
day's  tramp.  From  the  summit  of  Blue  Hill, 
on  clear  days,  they  could  see  the  snowy  peaks 
of  the  mountain  now  known  as  Mt.  Washing 
ton,  and  they  were  curious  to  know  if  it  were 
as  large  as  their  own  Blue  Hill,  for  it  looked 
very  small  in  the  distance.  So  off  they  set, 
leaving  behind  one  of  their  number,  with  in 
structions  to  have  plenty  of  hot  oatmeal  por 
ridge  for  them  on  their  return,  for  a  hundred 
miles  was  quite  a  little  walk  for  them,  and 
they  knew  that  the  exercise  would  give  them 
an  appetite. 

As  soon  as  the  giants  were  gone,  the  cook 
stepped  over  to  the  next  town  and  collected 
dry  sticks  suitable  for  his  fire,  piling  them  up 
in  a  great  heap,  all  ready  to  be  lighted.  Then, 
as  it  was  a  warm  day,  and  it  would  not  be 
necessary  for  him  to  cook  his  porridge  for 


THE  MISCHIEVOUS  PRANK  OF  THE  GNOMES.       5 

some  time,  he  lay  down  in  the  shade  and 
dreamed  away  the  afternoon. 

As  the  sun  slowly  settled  into  the  west 
ern  woods,  the  giant  remembered  that  it  was 
time  for  him  to  begin  his  cooking,  so  he 
rubbed  two  smooth  sticks  briskly  together 
until  a  spark  appeared,  and  in  a  minute 
more  the  smoke  curled  up  over  the  trees, 
and  the  oatmeal  porridge  was  bubbling  away 
merrily. 

It  is  not  very  exciting  work  making  oatmeal 
porridge,  and  the  fire  was  quite  hot,  too,  for  it 
required  a  very  large  pot  to  hold  enough  por 
ridge  for  all  the  giants,  and  consequently  a 
large  fire  was  needed,  a  fire,  in  fact,  as  large  as 
the  great  Boston  fire  of  1872.  So  the  giant 
thought  he  might  as  well  make  himself  com 
fortable  and  seated  himself  with  his  back  rest 
ing  against  Blue  Hill,  and  his  feet  comfortably 
immersed  in  the  cool  waters  of  "  Lily  Pond.'' 
Seated  thus,  the  soothing  effect  of  the  foot 
bath,  together  with  the  crackling  of  the  fire 
and  the  bubbling  of  the  porridge,  brought 
about  a  sleepy  condition  of  the  giant  cook's 
great  brain,  and  without  knowing  it,  he  fell 
fast  asleep. 


6  THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

No  sooner  were  the  giant's  eyes  closed,  than 
from  behind  every  bush  and  tree  sprang  hun 
dreds  of  little  creatures  with  sturdy  forms, 
long,  peaked  beards,  and  comical  little  caps 
that  ended  in  a  peak.  Their  faces  were  brim 
ful  of  mischief,  and  they  silently  gathered 


about  the  sleeping  giant  cook.  After  watch 
ing  the  sleeper  for  a  while,  and  laughing  at  the 
foolish  expression  of  his  face,  as  he  sat  with 
his  great  head  nodding  forward,  the  king  of 
the  gnomes,  Rondo  by  name  (and  a  rosy, 
good-natured  looking  monarch  he  was,  who 
loved  good  cheer  and  mischief),  jumped  upon  a 


THE  MISCHIEVOUS  PRANK  OF  THE  GNOMES.       7 

stone  in  the   midst  of   his  subjects,  and  thus 
addressed  them  : — 

"  Come,  subjects  mine,  the  hours  are  few 
Before  the  giants  home  are  due. 
Pity  'twould  be,  now  would  it  not, 
Should  they  not  find  the  porridge  hot  ? 
Better  to  find  it  burnt,  I  hold, 
Than  flavorless,  uncooked  and  cold. 
Then  quickly  bring  me,  I  desire, 
More  fuel  for  this  waning  fire." 

Then  the  gnome  king  jumped  down  from  the 
stone  and  went  up  to  the  fire  that  was  not 
waning  at  all,  but  doing  very  well, —  in  fact, 
just  the  right  amount  of  heat  to  cook  the  por 
ridge  slowly  and  safely.  The  other  gnomes, 
meanwhile,  were  collecting  dried  sticks  and 
soon  returned,  laden  with  bundles  of  them 
which  they  thrust  into  the  fire,  King  Rondo, 
at  the  same  time,  stirring  them  with  his  golden 
sceptre,  in  order  to  create  a  better  draught. 

In  a  few  moments,  the  huge  fire  was  blazing 
finely,  and  a  great  volume  of  steam  arose  from 
the  kettle  in  which  the  oatmeal  porridge  was 
bubbling  away  furiously.  It  rose  higher  and 
higher  in  the  great  kettle,  and  soon  came  pour 
ing  over  the  sides  and  fell  into  the  ashes  and 


8  THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

fire  below.  At  this,  the  gnomes  laughed  with 
glee  and  danced  about  exultantly,  King  Rondo, 
all  the  time,  stirring  the  fire  with  his  golden 
sceptre. 

By  this  time,  the  giant  cook's  slumber  be 
came  lighter,  and  he  began  to  move  about 
restlessly  in  his  sleep,  as  many  sound  sleepers 
do  when  about  to  wake.  He  gave  such  a  sud 
den  yawn  that  the  dwarf  king  jumped  back 
from  the  fire  in  haste,  and  his  subjects  ran  off 
with  great  speed. 

The  giant  opened  his  eyes  at  the  moment 
when  the  peaked  cap  of  the  dwarf  king  was 
disappearing  behind  a  clump  of  bushes,  and 
he  started  up  with  a  presentiment  that  some 
thing  was  wrong,  for  the  dwarfs'  visits  never 
boded  good  to  the  giants. 

At  once,  the  giant's  eyes  fell  on  the  kettle 
with  the  porridge  running  over  its  sides,  and 
he  became  sensible  of  a  decidedly  burnt  odor. 
With  much  trepidation,  the  giant  caught  up  a 
large  stick,  in  fact,  it  was  the  trunk  of  a  large 
pine-tree,  and  scattered  the  blazing  embers 
from  under  the  kettle.  Then  he  seized  the 
huge  spoon  and  hastily  scooped  up  as  much  of 
the  porridge  as  he  could,  not  realizing  that  he 


THE  MISCHIEVOUS  PRANK  OF  THE  GNOMES.       9 

was  taking  also  a  large  amount  of  ashes.  Not 
until  he  had  dipped  up  all  the  mixture,  did  he 
see  that  the  porridge  in  the  kettle  was  full  of 
black  specks.  It  was  too  late  to  remedy  the 
mistake  by  making  fresh  porridge,  so  he  re 
solved  to  trust  to  luck  and  the  good  appetites 
of  the  giants. 

Not  long  did  the  suspense  of  the  giant  cook 
last,  for  very  soon  he  recognized  the  distant 
voices  of  his  returning  friends,  and  a  great 
panic  seized  him,  as  he  heard  them  clamoring 
for  their  supper.  Putting  on  as  unconcerned 
a  manner  as  he  was  able,  the  cook  placed  be 
fore  his  hungry  companions  the  hot  oatmeal 
porridge,  and  awaited,  in  breathless  suspense, 
the  result  of  the  first  taste. 

44  Faugh  !  "  exclaimed  one,  "  the  knave  has 
burnt  it !  "  and  taking  up  a  spoonful  of  the 
mixture,  he  hurled  it  far  away. 

44The  stuff  is  full  of  ashes,v  cried  another, 
and  he  also  threw  away  the  contents  of  his 
big  spoon. 

At  this,  a  general  hubbub  arose,  in  the  midst 
of  which  one  of  the  giants  seized  the  huge 
caldron  and  hurled  the  contents  far  and  wide. 
It  fell  in  the  neighboring  towns,  and,  as  the 


IO         THE    FAIRY-FULK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

giant's  rage  increased,  farther  and  farther  did 
he  hurl  the  oatmeal,  and  a  huge  lump  fell  in 
the  town  we  now  call  Quincy.  Then  came  a 
still  more  violent  swing  of  the  giant's  arm, 
and  a  quantity  of  the  porridge  was  hurled 
where  the  town  of  Gloucester  now  stands. 

On  the  unfortunate  cook  fell  the  brunt  of 
the  giants'  displeasure,  but  as  their  ill-humor 
increased,  a  general  fight  arose,  and  each  giant 
attacked  his  neighbor  indiscriminately.  Dur 
ing  the  tumult,  the  cook  vainly  attempted  to 
make  his  voice  heard  and  relate  how  the 
dwarfs  had  brought  about 
the  mishap,  but  the  giants, 
unreasonable  as  angry  chil 
dren,  were  too  excited  to 
listen  to  him. 

The  tumult  was  at  its 
height,  the  air  resounding 
with  the  noise  of  heavy 
blows  and  fierce  impreca 
tions,  when  suddenly  a 
silence  fell  on  the  savage 
group,  as  in  their  midst 
stood  a  little  gray  man. 
Gray  clothes,  hat,  beard  and 


THE  MISCHIEVOUS  PRANK  OF  THE  GNOMES.       II 

hair  he  had,  and  the  tall  giants  towered  far 
above  him,  but  every  one  of  them  hung  his 
head  before  the  stern  gaze  of  the  little  man 
in  gray. 

"Shame  on  ye!"  exclaimed  the  little  gray 
man  severely,  "  again  have  ye  broken  the  con 
tract  and  disturbed  the  peace." 

It  was  astonishing  to  note  the  change  that 
took  place  in  the  countenances  of  the  giants 
as  the  little  gray  man  spoke.  A  moment  be 
fore  raging  with  the  fury  of  wild  beasts,  they 
had  suddenly  become  abject  and  humble,  not 
daring  to  raise  their  downcast  eyes  before  the 
stern  gaze  of  the  little  man  in  gray. 

"  Pardon,  master  !  "  cried  one  of  the  giants, 
his  great  trembling  voice  sounding  like  rum 
bling  thunder.  u  Pardon,  master,  we  were 
sorely  tried." 

A  contemptuous  smile  flitted  o'er  the  lips  of 
the  little  gray  man,  as  he  replied : 

"  Are  ye  a  parcel  of  babies  that  ye  must 
need  squabble  over  a  mess  of  burnt  porridge  ? 
I  would  that  your  great  empty  heads  contained 
but  a  small  part  of  the  brains  my  little  gnomes 
possess ! " 

"  Master,"  said  the  cook  humbly,  "  they  will 


12          THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

not  listen  to  one.  The  dwarfs  it  was  who 
burnt  the  porridge  by  building  a  hot  fire  under 
it,  while  I  slept." 

"  It  serves  thee  right,  thou  great  sleepy 
head,"  replied  the  little  gray  man.  "  Hadst 
thou  been  attending  to  thy  duty  as  thou 
shouldst  have  done,  the  dwarfs  would  not  have 
played  the  trick  on  thee.  Now,  listen  to  your 
sentence,  ye  great  over-grown  children  !  The 
next  time  ye  so  forget  yourselves,  shall  ye  for 
feit  the  right  to  these  pleasant  regions  and  be 
banished  to  far-off  realms.  And  now,  the 
fruits  of  your  senseless  rage  shall  ye  ever  see 
before  ye,  to  serve  ye  as  a  reminder.  Hun 
dreds  of  years  hence,  when  it  is  forgotten  that 
such  a  race  as  ye  ever  existed,  men  shall  prize 
a  stone  that  they  little  dream  was  once  the  oat 
meal  porridge  of  the  giants.  Thus  shall  good 
come  out  of  your  senseless  bickerings.  Re 
member  my  words,  and  know  that  I  will  keep 
my  vow." 

Bowing  submissively,  the  giants  silently 
trooped  down  the  hill.  The  little  gray  man 
watched  them  until,  with  a  few  strides,  they 
were  out  of  sight,  when  his  severe  countenance 
relaxed  and  an  amused  expression  stole  over 


THE  MISCHIEVOUS  PRANK  OF  THE  GNOMES.       13 

his  face,  as  one  sometimes  smiles  at  the  recol 
lection  of  the  misdemeanors  of  children,  to 
whom  he  has  administered  a  deserved  rebuke. 
Then,  as  suddenly  as  he  had  appeared,  the  lit 
tle  gray  man  was  gone.  How  or  where,  no 
one  could  have  told,  he  simply  was  gone. 

The  threat  of  the  little  gray  man  was  ful 
filled.  The  burnt  oatmeal  porridge  with  the 
specks  of  cinders  in  it  was  congealed  where  it 
fell,  and  to  this  day,  the  quarries  of  Quincy 
and  the  Cape  Ann  Quarry  of  Gloucester  pro 
duce  handsome  blocks  of  granite,  that  very 
few  people  know  was  once  the  burnt  oatmeal 
porridge  of  the  Blue  Hill  giants. 


14         THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF   THE    BLUE    HILL,. 


CHAPTER  II. 

WHAT    THE    BROWN    BEETLE    SAW. 

The  little  brown  beetle,  seated  under  a  leaf, 
had  seen  the  mischievous  gnomes  at  work  and 
had  heard  the  quarrel  of  the  giants,  and  when 
he  saw  them  so  dejected  at  the  reproof  of  the 
little  man  in  gray,  he  felt  very  sorry  for  them, 
for  they  had  never  done  him  any  harm,  and  he 
had  seen  so  much  of  them  that  he  felt  quite 
well  acquainted  with  them,  and  was  sure  that 
they  were  not  bad  at  heart. 

The  brown  beetle  thought  the  little  gray 
man  had  been  unnecessarily  severe  with  the 
giants,  and  he  trembled  as  he  thought  how 
soon  the  foolish  fellows  might  do  the  same 
thing  over  again,  and  how  lonesome  it  would 
be  not  to  see  their  great  forms  moving  about, 
nor  to  hear  the  hill  reverberating  with  the 
echo  of  their  deep  voices,  nor  the  crackling  of 
the  underbrush  beneath  their  huge  feet. 

Very  depressing  was  the  mood  these  thoughts 


WHAT    THE    BROWN    BEETLE    SAW.  15 

produced,  but  the  brown  beetle  gradually  be 
came  more  cheerful,  and  before  long  he  was 
himself  again.  Sitting  basking  on  a  dry  leaf 
on  which  the  sun  was  shining,  the  beetle  pon 
dered  over  the  annoyances  the  mischievous 
gnomes  constantly  inflicted  on  his  friends,  the 
giants.  Suddenly,  he  heard  a  slight  crackling 
of  dry  branches  and  leaves  that  he  knew  must 
be  caused  by  the  feet  of  either  human  beings 
or  animals,  which,  he  could  not  tell.  Anxious 
ly  straining  his  eyes  in  the  direction  of  the 
sounds,  in  a  moment  there  appeared,  around 
the  bend  in  the  path,  the  little  man  in  gray. 

Not  from  the  footsteps  of  the  little  gray  man 
did  the  crackling  sounds  proceed, —  never  a 
twig  or  leaf  bent  under  his  light  tread.  As  he 
came  into  view  around  the  bend  of  the  path, 
he  turned  and,  looking  back  over  the  steep 
road  over  which  he  had  just  come,  beckoned 
authoritatively  with  his  hand. 

Then  to  the  astonished  gaze  of  the  brown 
beetle,  appeared  a  troop  of  gnomes,  each  bear 
ing  on  his  sturdy  shoulders  a  pack.  On  they 
came,  in  single  file,  by  the  thousand  it  seemed 
to  the  bewildered  beetle,  each  one  an  exact 
counterpart  of  the  other,  and  each  small  figure 


1 6         THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF   THE    BLUE    HILL. 

bending    beneath    the   weight    of    his   heavy 
burden. 

Up  the  steep  hill,  the  gnomes  toiled  after  the 
little  man  in  gray,  and  when  the  last  one  had 


passed,  the  brown  beetle  recovered  his  scattered 
senses,  and  curiosity  getting  the  better  of  his 
amazement,  he  spread  his  wings  and  flew  after 
them. 

When  the  little  man  in  gray  reached  the  top 
of  the  hill,  he  paused  for  an  instant  before  a 


WHAT    THE    BROWN    BEETLE    SAW.  17 

high  rocky  wall,  and,  looking  over  his  band  of 
gnomes,  addressed  them  in  serious  tones :  — 

-  Since  ye  must  needs  play  your  mischievous 
pranks  on  the  giants,  I  have  decided  to  con 
fine  ye  to  the  interior  of  this  hill,  where  ye  will 
be  safe  from  the  wrath  of  the  enemy.  I  com 
mand  ye  to  keep  to  the  occupation  of  extend 
ing  your  underground  domains,  and  to  cease  to 
annoy  my  giant  subjects,  who  are  dangerous 
fellows  when  aroused.  Do  ye  note  my  com 
mands  ?  "* 

\Ve   hear  and  obey,  master,"  replied   the 
gnomes,  bowing  submissively. 

Signing  to  the  band  to  follow  him,  at  a 
given  signal  from  the  little  gray  man,  the  wall 
of  rock  parted,  and  he  disappeared  within  the 
dark  cavern,  followed  by  his  obedient  subK 
When  the  last  gnome  had  vanished  from  sight, 
the  rock  rolled  back  into  place,  and  the  brown 
beetle  found  himself  alone  before  the  closed 
entrance  to  the  cavern. 

"  Can    I   have    been   dreaming  ?  **   said   the 
brown  beetle  to  himself,  as  he  passed  one  of  his 
prickly  feet  across  his  eyes  to  clear  his  vision. 
N    :  he  had  not  dreamed  at  all,  for  there 
the  cave  with  its  rockv  barrier  before  him,  and 


l8         THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 


placing  his  ear  against  the  rocky  door,  a  con 
fused  murmur  of  tiny  voices  reached  him,  and, 
ere  long,  the  sharp  and  regular  click  of  two 
hard  substances  struck  together  was  heard. 

The  brown  beetle  wondered  if  the  gnomes 
would  always  remain  in  their  underground 
home  as  the  little  man  in  gray  had  commanded 
them  to  do,  or  whether  they  would  roam  over 
the  country  as  they 
had  done,  and  as  the 
griants  did.  While 


\  these  thoughts  were  passing  through 
the  beetle's  mind,  a  swift  whirring 
of  wings  attracted  his  attention,  and  a  beautiful 
blue  dragon-fly  alighted  on  a  stone  near  by. 

The  blue  dragon-fly  had  a  haughty  manner, 
and  was  attended  by  a  swarm  of  gnats,  whose 
business  it  was  to  wait  on  her  and  obey  her 
slightest  whim.  Not  deigning  to  notice  the 


WHAT    TIIK    liknwx    BEETLE    SAW,  19 

brown  beetle  who  was  ga/ing  admiringly  at 
her,  the  blue  dragon-fly  busied  herself  in 
arranging  her  toilet,  that  was  in  some  dis 
order  from  her  long  flight.  She  fluttered  her 
gauzy  wings  and  spread  them  in  the  sun,  all 
the  time  apparently  unconscious  of  the  pres 
ence  of  the  brown  beetle,  who  was  admiring, 
with  all  his  might,  the  beautiful  blue  of  her 
graceful  body,  and  the  delicacy  of  her  gauzy 
wings. 

(iiving  the  finishing  touches  to  her  toilet, 
the  blue  dragon-fly  threw  back  her  head  proud 
ly,  and  addressed  her  attendants  thus  : 

"  I  desire  ye  to  keep  further  off.  Your  pres 
ence  oppresses  me." 

The  gnats  obediently  withdrew  to  a  short 
distance,  and  hovered  together  in  the  warm  air, 
while  the  blue  dragon-fly  balanced  herself 
gracefully  on  a  stone  and,  for  the  first  time, 
looked  at  the  brown  beetle. 

The  beetle  was  so  embarrassed,  when  the 
dragon-fly  fixed  her  beautiful  great  eyes  on 
him,  that  he  hardly  knew  what  he  said,  but  he 
stammered  some  words  to  the  effect  that  he 
was  glad  to  see  her. 

44  It  is  a  matter  of    indifference  to  me."  re- 


2O         THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

plied  the  blue  dragon-fly  haughtily,  "whether 
thou  art  glad  or  sorry  to  see  me." 

The  brown  beetle  was  dreadfully  confused  at 
this  rude  repulse,  and  hastened  to  apologize. 

"  I  come  and  go  as  I  please,"  continued  the 
proud  beauty,  "  and  ask  leave  of  no  one. 
Straighten  out  the  tip  of  my  left  wing,"  she 
ordered,  turning  to  her  attendants. 

The  submissive  waiting-maids  hastened  to  do 
their  queen's  bidding,  and  then  in  obedience  to 
a  sign  from  her,  retired  to  a  distance  as  before. 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  the  giants  ?  "  de 
manded  the  blue  dragon-fly  imperiously,  not 
deigning  to  look  at  the  beetle  as  she  addressed 
him. 

The  brown  beetle,  delighted  to  oblige  such  a 
beautiful  being,  hastened  to  tell  the  story  of 
the  mischievous  trick  of  the  gnomes  and  the 
quarrel  of  the  giants,  and  how  the  little  man  in 
gray  had  commanded  the  gnomes  to  abide  in 
the  interior  of  the  hill  in  future. 

The  blue  dragon-fly  beckoned  to  her  attend 
ants  to  approach. 

"  Go  into  yonder  cavern  and  ascertain  how 
the  gnomes  are  employed,  and  what  the  cavern 
is  like,"  ordered  the  proud  queen. 


\YIIAT    THE    1IKOWN    I'EETLE    SAW.  21 

The  swarm  of  gnats  obediently  flew  off  to 
execute  the  bidding  of  their  mistress,  and  \\<n 
soon  out  of  sight.     In  a  short  time,  they  came 
swarming  back  again. 

M  Well  ?  "  demanded  the  queen  haughtily. 

"We  have  been  able  to  discover  nothing, 
gracious  lady,"  answered  the  first  maid  of 
honor.  "  We  found  our  passage  barred  by  a 
high  wall  of  solid  rock,  and  although  a  faint 
murmur  of  voices  reached  our  ears,  we  were 
not  able  to  catch  the  words." 

"  Stupid  things  !  "  exclaimed  the  dragon-fly. 
"  Now  go  and  prepare  a  bath  for  me." 

Away  swarmed  the  eager  attendants,  and 
the  blue  dragon-fly  and  the  brown  beetle  were 
left  alone  together. 

The  blue  dragon-fly  looked  at  the  brown 
beetle  quite  graciously.  "  I  don't  like  the 
dark,"  she  said  with  a  charming  smile.  "  I  like 
to  fly  about  in  the  sunlight.  I  suppose  that 
cavern  is  as  dark  as  dark  as  can  be." 

"  Oh  !  yes,"  replied  the  beetle,  delighted  to  be 
addressed  by  the  beautiful  stranger,  "it's  as 
dark  as  a  pocket.  I've  often  been  in  there,  or 
rather,  a  short  distance  in." 

"Thou?"  asked  the  dragon-fly  in  astonish- 


22         THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

ment.  "  How  was  it  possible  for  thee,  with 
thy  great  clumsy  body  to  enter,  when  my  little 
gnats,  with  their  tiny  forms,  found  no  crevice 
through  which  to  creep  ?  " 

"  Low  down  on  the  ground,  in  one  corner," 
replied  the  beetle,  "  there  is  a  place  where 
the  stone  has  crumbled  away,  and  there  I 
entered." 

"  I  would  go  in,  but  I  do  so  hate  dark,  poky 
places,"  said  the  blue  dragon-fly,  with  a  coquet 
tish  flutter  of  her  gauzy  wings. 

"  I  should  think  thou  wouldst,"  replied  the 
brown  beetle,  with  a  glance  of  admiration  at 
the  pretty  creature  balancing  herself  in  the 
air.  "  Such  beautiful  beings  as  thou  ought  to 
live  in  the  sunlight." 

"  Great  stupid  thing !  Why  cannot  he 
understand  what  I  want  ?  "  muttered  the  blue 
dragon-fly,  in  a  low  tone  ;  but  she  took  care 
that  her  words  should  not  be  heard  by  the 
brown  beetle.  "  Thou  wouldst  not  mind  going 
in  for  me,  wouldst  thou  ?  "  she  said  aloud,  with 
a  charming  smile. 

Mind  going  in  ?  Not  the  brown  beetle ! 
Why,  he  would  have  gone  in  at  the  blue  drag 
on-fly's  bidding,  if  he  had  been  sure  that  some 


WHAT    THE    BROWN    BEETLE    SA\V.  23 

huge  creature  stood  within  to  gobble  him  up  at 
the  first  step  he  took. 

So  the  brown  beetle  disappeared  through 
the  hole  in  one  corner  of  the  rocky  wall,  and 
the  dragon-fly,  flippant  creature  that  she  was, 
sported  in  the  sunlight,  flirting  her  delicate 
wings,  and  skimming  about,  with  no  regret  at 
having  used  her  arts  to  persuade  the  honest 
brown  beetle  to  gratify  her  idle  curiosity. 

Some  minutes  passed,  and  the  dragon-fly 
was  becoming  impatient  at  the  delay,  when  the 
brown  beetle  reappeared. 

M  The  gnats  were  right,"  he  said,  u  there  is  a 
second  wall  of  thick  stone,  behind  which  it  is 
impossible  to  go,  and  where  the  gnomes  are  at 
work." 

"  Is  that  all  thou  hast  discovered  ?  "  demand 
ed  the  blue  dragon-fly  in  a  disappointed  tone. 
"  It  appears  that  the  gnats  were  not  the  only 
stupid  ones." 

The  brown  beetle  took  no  notice  of  the  rude 
ness  of  this  remark,  but  went  on  with  his  story  : 

"  Creeping  as  closely  to  the  wall  as  I  could, 
I  listened  with  all  my  might.  At. first,  t In 
voices  sounded  indistinct  and  afar  off,  and  the 
regular  click  of  their  hammers  (for  I  am  sure 


24         THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

they  were  working  on  the  stone  walls  of  the 
cavern),  seemed  to  drown  their  voices,  but  soon 
I  became  accustomed  to  both  sounds,  and 
could  distinguish  what  they  sang." 

"  What  was  it  ?  "  eagerly  demanded  the  blue 
dragon-fly. 

"  I  will  try  to  remember,"  replied  the  brown 
beetle,  and  he  recited  slowly  the  following 

lines : 

"  In  their  dark  homes, 

Live  merry  gnomes. 
Through  the  long  day, 
At  home  they  stay, 
Their  hammers  ring 
Kling  a  ling  kling. 
When  others  sleep, 
Abroad  they  peep, 
The  darkest  night 
Is  their  delight. 
Running,  leaping, 
Spying,  peeping, 
The  dead  of  night 
Is  gnomes'  delight." 

"  They  must  be  jolly  fellows,  and  I  should 
like  to  get  a  look  at  them  at  their  work,"  said 
the  blue  dragon-fly,  "  but  I  wish  they  would 
take  the  day-time  for  their  frolics.  It  would  be 
suck  fun  to  watch  them." 


WHAT    THK    IJKOWN     I'.KETLE    SAW.  25 

The  brown  beetle  was  silent.  He  wanted  to 
tell  the  blue  dragon-fly  that  he  would  be  on  the 
watch,  and  whenever  he  saw  the  gnomes  he 
would  give  her  all  the  information  he  gained, 
but  he  was  not  quick-witted,  and  hardly  knew 
how  to  say  it. 

4k  Perhaps  thou  wilt  be  able  to  find  out  more 
about  these  strange  creatures,"  said  the  blue 
dragon-fly.  "  If  thou  shouldst,  pray  let  me 
know,  for  I  am  full  of  curiosity  about  them, 
they  do  play  such  fine  tricks  upon  the  giants." 

Before  the  brown  beetle  could  reply,  the  at 
tendants  of  the  blue  dragon-fly  came  swarming 
up  the  hill,  evidently  in  a  state  of  great 
excitement. 

"  Well  ?  "  demanded  their  haughty  mistress, 
for  not  one  of  them  would  have  dared  ad 
dress  her  without  permission. 

"Gracious  lady,"  began  the  first  maid  of 
honor,  "  we  searched  for  a  pool  of  water  suit 
able  for  thy  ladyship  to  bathe  in,  but  the 
drought  has  affected  most  of  those  which  thy 
ladyship  is  accustomed  to  frequent,  and  we 
were  obliged  to  go  farther  away.  At  la>t,  we 
discovered  one  where  the  water  is  clear  and 
cool,  where  pond-lily-blossoms  with  their 


26         THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

broad,  green  pads  form  suiting  resting-places 
for  our  gracious  lady  queen." 

"  Why  this  tiresome  explanation  ?  "  demand 
ed  the  queen  imperiously.  "  My  province  it  is 
to  command,  thine  to  execute,  not  to  make 
speeches.  Lead  the  way." 

"  But,  gracious  lady,"  replied  the  maid  of 
honor  obsequiously,  "  permit  me,  I  beg,  to  say 
a  few  words.  A  most  strange  thing  happened, 
as  we  were  contemplating  the  pond  that  was  to 
serve  as  a  bath  for  our  beautiful  queen.  Even 
as  we  gazed,  a  rustling  in  the  bushes  startled 
us,  and  there  appeared  before  our  eyes  a  being 
such  as  we  have  never  before  beheld." 

"  One  of  the  elves,  thou  stupid,"  retorted  the 
queen  sharply,  "  the  lilies  are  full  of  them. 
Many  and  many  a  time,  I  have  seen  them 
sleeping  in  the  lily  petals  and  floating  on  the 
pads." 

"  Pardon  me,  gracious  lady,  but  it  was  no 
elf ;  those  we  know  well.  It  was  a  large  being, 
and  it  stepped  into  the  water  and  seized  a  lily 
blossom  and  broke  it  off,  and  another,  and  still 
another,  until  its  large  hands  were  full  of  the 
beautiful  blossoms  thy  ladyship  so  loves  to 
alight  on." 


WHAT    THE    BROWN    BEETLE    SAW.  27 

"  Nonsense,  if  it  were  not  an  elf,  then  it 
must  have  been  a  giant,"  answered  the  blue 
dragon-fly  impatiently. 

"  It  was  not  a  giant,  gracious  lady,"  con 
tinued  the  maid  of  honor,  "  it  was  not  so 
large.  It  was  a  being  the  like  of  which  ha- 
never  set  its  feet  on  these  shores." 

"Will  wonders  never  cease  ?"  exclaimed  the 
blue  dragon-fly  in  amazement.  "  What  in  the 
name  of  all  that  is  marvelous  could  it  have 
been  ? " 


28         THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 


CHAPTER    III. 


WASSA  S    THEFT. 

The  strange  apparition  that  had  so  startled 
the  attendants  of  the  blue  dragon-fly  was 
merely  a  little  maid.  Her  one  garment,  made 
from  the  rough  skin  of  some  animal,  was  torn 
and  jagged,  and  presented  a  very  untidy  ap 
pearance,  while  her  coarse  black  hair  hung 
about  her  face  in  disorderly  locks. 

The  little  maid  waded  into  the  pond,  and 
roughly  pulled  some  of  the  beautiful  pond 
lilies  that  floated  on  the  surface.  A  rustling 
in  the  bushes  caused  her  to  turn  her  head,  and 
two  other  little  maids,  younger  than  the  first 
comer,  and  a  lad,  made  their  appearance.  A 
strong  family  resemblance  proclaimed  them  to 
be  brother  and  sisters,  and  the  skins  that  formed 
their  clothes  were  as  worn  and  untidy  as  were 
those  of  the  elder  sister. 


WASSA  S    THEFT.  29 

"  Wilt  thou  not  throw  us  some  of  the  blos 
soms,  Wassa? "  asked  one  of  the  little  maids. 

The  one  who  was  gathering  the  lilies  care 
lessly  threw  a  bunch  toward  the  new-comers, 
and  then  continued  her  occupation. 

Soon  another  rustling  in  the  bushes  an 
nounced  the  approach  of  some  one  else,  and 
another  little  maid  stood  before  them  and 
looked  about  her. 

The  new-comer  was  of  about  the  size  of  the 
one  gathering  lilies,  but  her  whole  appearance 
was  different.  Her  dress  was  made  of  rabbit 
skins  neatly  sewed  together,  and  she  wore  leg- 
gins  and  moccasins  of  leather  tastefully  and 
carefully  embroidered  with  porcupine  quills 
stained  in  bright  colors.  Her  brown  hair  was 
neatly  braided,  and  her  dark  blue  eyes  had  an 
open,  honest  expression.  She  had  the  confid 
ing,  trusting  air  that  is  seen  in  children  who 
are  tenderly  and  carefully  reared,  and  who  have 
experienced  only  love  and  kindness. 

The  blue-eyed  maid  stood  at  some  distance 
from  the  brother  and  sisters,  and  watched  them 
with  great  interest,  with  the  wistful  expression 
one  sees  but  in  an  only  child;  but  a  troubled 
look  came  over  her  face  as  Wassa  ruthlessly 


3O         THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

tore  the  beautiful  blossoms  from  their  stems. 

At  last,  Wassa,  wading  deeper  into  the  pond, 
reached  forward  and  snatched  an  unusually 
fine  blossom  so  roughly  that  it  broke  close  to 
the  flower,  at  which  she  carelessly  tossed  it  into 
the  middle  of  the  pond. 

"Oh!  how  canst  thou  do  that?"  exclaimed 
the  blue-eyed  maid. 

Wassa  darted  an  angry  glance  behind  her  at 
the  words  of  the  blue-eyed  maid.  "Why  should 
I  not  do  so?  How  dar'st  thou  interfere  with 
my  pleasure  ?  " 

"  It  is  a  pity  to  destroy  flowers  thou  dost  not 
intend  to  care  for,"  replied  the  blue-eyed  maid 
gently. 

"  Why  is  it  a  pity  ? "  asked  Wassa  roughly. 
"Flowers  are  not  alive,  they  cannot  feel." 

"We  don't  know  but  that  they  may  feel," 
replied  the  other;  "and  then, these  beautiful  blos 
soms  make  such  splendid  homes  for  the  fairies, 
thou  know'st." 

The  dark-eyed  children  looked  at  the  blue- 
eyed  maid  in  astonishment,  then  Wassa  laughed 
loudly  and  derisively,  and  the  younger  children 
joined  in. 

"  Fairies ! "  exclaimed  Wassa, "  how  canst  thou 


\VASSAS    THK FT.  31 

be  so  stupid  ?     I  suppose  thou  hast  seen  them, 
hast  thou  not?" 

"I  am  not  quite  sure,"  replied  the  blue-eyed 
maid  gently,  "but  I  have  often  looked  for  them, 
and  once  I  was  almost  certain  I  saw  a  little 
fairy  fly  out  of  one  of  the  blossoms,  but  it  went 
so  fast  I  couldn't  say  for  sure." 

"There  are  not  any  fairies,  nor  any  giants, 
nor  anything  else  of  that  kind,"  retorted  Wassa 
positively,  shaking  her  black  locks. 

The  blue-eyed  maid  did  not  reply,  much  to 
Wassa's  disappointment,  for  she  would  have 
liked  to  draw  her  into  a  quarrel. 

"Dost  thou  mean  to  say  thou  believ'st  in 
such  nonsense?"  asked  Wassa. 

'•  I  believe  there  are  fairies  and  giants," 
answered  the  blue-eyed  maid,  "although  we 
cannot  see  them;  and  I  think  we  ought  to  be 
very  careful  not  to  step  on  the  flowers,  nor 
break  them  off  their  stems  unless  we  mean  to 
care  for  them,  for,  for  all  we  know,  they  may 
be  the  homes  of  fairies  who  love  them  as  much 
as  we  do  our  own  homes." 

"The  fairies  will  have  to  loojc  out  for  their 
homes  then,"  exclaimed  Wassa  loudly,  and 
roughly  seized  all  the  beautiful  white  blossoms 


32    THE  FAIRY-FOLK  OF  THE  BLUE  HILL. 

within  her  reach,  and  scattered  them  over  the 
pond. 

"Oh!  how  canst  thou  be  so  cruel?"  cried 
the  blue-eyed  maid  indignantly.  "  Do  not 
destroy  the  pretty  blossoms." 

"  Do  thou  not  be  so  silly,"  answered  Wassa. 

"Mona!  where  art  thou?  I  want  thee  to 
fetch  a  jug  of  water  from  the  spring,"  called  a 
voice  in  the  distance. 

"Yes,  mother,  I  am  coming,"  replied  the 
blue-eyed  maid,  and  she  ran  off  quickly  in  the 
direction  of  the  voice. 

"  How  proud  she  is,"  exclaimed  Wassa,  when 
Mona  was  out  of  sight. 

"She's  proud  because  she  has  such  a  fine 
frock  on,"  said  one  of  the  little  maids. 

"  Dost  thou  not  know  that  she's  an  only 
child  ? "  asked  Wassa  contemptuously.  "  That's 
always  the  way  with  only  children,  they're 
always  spoiled.  But  thou  wilt  see  how  long 
her  fine  airs  will  hold  out." 

"  Yes,  we  will  see ! "  echoed  the  younger 
children. 

The  blue-eyed  maid,  Mona,  was  an  only  child, 
the  only  one  left  of  several  others.  Her  parents 
had  recently  built  a  hut  on  the  shore  of  Lily 


WASSA'S  TIIKI-T. 


Pond,  and  with  much  hard  labor  had  succeeded 
in  clearing  a  small  patch  of  ground  and  had 
planted  it  with  care,  —  the  little  maid,  in  her 
small  way,  helping  her  parents  as  best  she 
could.  Fish  from  the  pond,  and  game  from  the 
woods,  furnished  them  with  food,  and  they  lived 
a  peaceful  and  contented  life  in  this  wilderness. 
At  about  the  same  time  the  hunter  (as  we 
will  call  Mona's  father)  had  made  his  home  on 


the  shore  of  the  pond,  a  rover  and  his  family 
built  a  hut  on  Willow  Pond,  and  his  children 
they  were  who  destroyed  the  lily  blossoms  so 
ruthlessly.  Too  indolent  to  prepare  the  rough 
soil  for  planting,  as  did  the  hunter,  the  rover 
and  his  family  lived  only  on  the  food  the  pond- 
and  woods  afforded  them,  and,  as  is  often  the 


34         THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

way  with  indolent  people,  felt  a  great  dislike  to 
their  hard-working  neighbors.  The  industry 
the  parents  of  Mona  displayed  in  felling  the 
forest  trees  and  uprooting  stumps,  to  prepare 
a  place  in  which  to  plant  their  seeds,  was 
much  ridiculed  by  the  rover  and  his  wife ;  and 
the  care  and  love  they  bestowed  on  their  one 
child  and  their  solicitude  to  have  her  grow  up 
to  be  a  good  and  useful  woman  was  considered 
as  "spoiling"  her.  It  never  occurred  to  them 
that  the  most  spoiled  children  are  those  who 
envy  others  for  having  what  they  have  not 
themselves. 

To  return  to  the  rover's  children.  After 
Mona  had  disappeared,  Wassa  turned  her  steps 
homeward,  followed  by  her  brother  and  sisters. 
As  they  passed  the  hunter's  pond,  Wassa 
went  to  the  edge  of  the  water,  and,  stooping 
down,  drew  in  a  net  that  was  set  in  the  deep 
water.  As  she  landed  it  on  the  grass,  two 
fine  bass  leapt  and  struggled  to  free  them 
selves. 

Wassa  skilfully  extricated  the  fishes,  and, 
breaking  a  lithe  twig  from  a  tree  near  by,  ran 
it  through  their  gills.  Then  she  threw  the 
empty  net  back  into  the  water,  and  proceeded 


WASSA  S    '1  HI-.IT. 


35 


on  her  way.  Tlu-  y-mnger  children  looked  on 
in  astonishment. 

"Thou  hast  made  a  mistake,  Wassa,"  >aid 
her  brother.  4k  That  was  not  our  net.  It  be 
longs  to  the  hunter." 

"  I  know  that  as  well  as  thou  dost,"  replied 
\Yassa,  "  but  I  intend  that  the  hunter's  family 


•\v*;&-&  .  n, 

't    •  A\~-   '';>r  fySfr—       ^L, 


shall  have  no   fishes  for  their  supper  to-nitjht. 
It  will  serve  Mona  right  for  being  so  proud." 

uYes,  it  will  serve  her  right,"  assented  the 
other  children  quickly,  falling  in  with  theirelder 
sister's  plan  as  readily  as  all  younger  children 
do ;  and  home  went  the  rover's  children,  with- 


36         THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

out  a  pang  of  conscience  at  the  theft  they  had 
committed. 

For  a  while  after  the  children  had  disap 
peared,  all  was  still  in  the  woods,  —  still  as  far 
as  the  noises  made  by  human  beings  were  con 
cerned. 

Occasionally  a  fish  jumped  in  the  pond,  and 
dragon-flies  skimmed  over  its  surface,  —  birds 
flew  in  and  out  among  the  trees,  and  squirrels 
ran  over  the  branches.  Gradually,  however, 
the  sun  sank  out  of  sight,  the  notes  of  the  birds 
orew  shorter  and  more  subdued,  until  their 

o 

sleepy  voices  ceased  altogether,  and  the  squir 
rels  went  fast  asleep  in  their  snug  nests.  A 
refreshing  coolness  spread  through  the  woods, 
and  the  evening  air  became  laden  with  the 
perfumed  breath  of  the  forest  trees.  First  one 
star  and  then  another  appeared,  and  the  round, 
full  moon  rose  from  behind  Blue  Hill,  and 
sailed  into  the  sky,  shedding  a  soft  light  over 
pond  and  wood  and  hill. 

Then,  dear  readers,  if  you  had  but  been 
there  to  see  the  tiny  forms  that  sprang  from 
beneath  the  large  stones  and  from  within  the 
mounds,  and  that  came  sliding  down  from  their 
homes  in  the  hollow  trees. 


WASSA  S    THEFT.  37 

Each  small  face  was  brimming  with  mirth 
and  good  nature,  and  their  nimble  little  feet 
flew  over  the  ground  without  seeming  to  touch 
so  much  as  a  blade  of  grass.  By  hundreds 
they  came, all  flocking  to  the  verge  of  the  pond, 
where  they  joined  hands,  and  executed  a  wild 
and  fantastic  dance,  singing,  at  the  same  time, 
the  following  lines:  — 

"  Sleeping  all  day, 
At  night  we  stray 
From  our  snug  homes 
In  trees,  'neath  stones. 
On  waves  we  ride, 
In  flowers  hide, 
And  dance  and  sing 
Till  the  woods  ring. 
But  elves  must  work, 
Nor  duty  shirk  ; 
The  good  to  right 
Is  our  delight. 
Spites  to  prevent 
Is  our  intent. 
Say,  brother  elves, 
Bethink  yourselves, 
Knows  any  one 
Work  to  be  done?" 

The  circle  of  elves  danced  around  the  pond. 
executing  all  kinds  of  fantastic  steps,  until  the 


38         THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

exuberance  of  their  spirits  was  somewhat  ex 
hausted,  when  they  bent  their  tiny  faces  over 
the  water  and  gazed  into  its  clear  depths. 

For  a  time  no  one  spoke,  until  one  of  their 
band,  the  most  dimpled  and  roguish-looking  of 
them  all,  the  most  nimble  of  foot  and  graceful 
in  the  dance,  Toto  the  Slim,  thus  addressed  his 
comrades :, — 

"  Brothers  mine,  the  nets  of  the  hunter  lie 
at  the  bottom  of  this  lake,  as  ye  well  know,  and 
I  crave  your  attention  while  I  relate  what 
befell  this  day.  Hidden  'neath  yon  mossy 
stone,  footsteps,  human  footsteps,  fell  on  my 
ear,  and,  peeping  cautiously  forth,  I  espied 
Wassa,  the  rover's  maid,  with  her  brother  and 
sisters.  Mindful  of  the  unkind  feeling  they 
bear  the  hunter's  little  maid,  I  watched  them 
closely.  Drawing  the  hunter's  nets,  they 
threw  them  on  the  shore,  and  within  the 
meshes  leapt  two  shining  bass.  These  fishes 
these  naughty  children  stole,  my  comrades. 
Now,  I  ask  ye,  brothers  mine,  shall  we  allow 
this  deed  to  go  unpunished  ?  Must  the  gentle 
Mona,  she  who  so  loves  the  fairy  folk  and  is  so 
loved  by  them,  go  without  her  supper  ?  " 

"  No,  a  thousand   times    no,"  cried    all    the 


WASSA  s   THEFT.  39 

elves  in  chorus.  "Let  us  at  once  to 
\YusscVs  hut  and  pay  her  for  this  naughty 
trick!" 

u  Comrades  mine,"  said  Toto  the  Slim,  his 
tiny  face  brimful  of  mischief,  "  I,  for  one,  do 
not  believe  in  turning  the  other  cheek,  but 
in  giving  a  good  slap  back.  So,  I  say,  let  us 
at  once  repay  this  trick  tenfold.  Come  on  ! " 
And  Toto  laughed  gleefully  as  he  gave  a  twirl 
to  his  mustache. 

Before,  however,  Toto  and  his  comrades 
bounded  away,  Pippi  the  Just,  the  oldest  and 
wisest  of  the  band,  raised  his  hand  with  an 
authoritative  gesture  and  spoke  these  words: — 

"  Toto,  my  friend,  thou  art  young  as  yet,  but 
thou  wilt  gain  wisdom  when  thou  art  older. 
Those  who  take  what  is  not  their  own  should 
be  made  to  make  amends,  and  I  counsel  this, 
—  that  we  look  at  the  rover's  nets,  and  if  there 
should  be  two  fishes  in  them,  they  go,  by 
rights,  to  the  hunter's  nets.  This,  friend  Toto, 
is  just  and  right,  and  thou  wilt  find  it  works 
better  than  thy  rule.  Come,  then,  comrades, 
let  us  go." 

Away  over  bush  and  stone  went  the  nimble 
elves,  nor  halted  until  thev  stood  on  the  >hoiv 


4O         THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

of  Willow  Pond.  The  net  of  the  rover  was 
soon  found,  and,  forming  in  line,  the  wee  elves 
tugged  at  the  lines,  while  the  woods  about 
echoed  with  their  shrill  voices.  At  last  the 
net  appeared  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  and 
soon  four  fine  bass  were  plunging  on  the 
grassy  bank  of  the  pond. 

"  Two  back  with  the  nets  we'll  throw,"  said 
Pippi  the  Just,  "  and  two  we  will  put  in  the 
hunter's  nets." 

All  the  elves  assented  to  this  as  wise  and 
just, —  all  except  that  mischievous  elf,  Toto  the 
Slim,  but  no  one  thought  of  him.  Then  back 
to  Lily  Pond  went  the  troops  of  elves  carrying 
the  two  fishes,  and  not  one  of  them  noticed 
that  the  wag  Toto  was  left  behind. 

When  the  last  elf  had  disappeared  among 
the  forest  trees,  Toto,  laughing  softly  to  him 
self  all  the  while,  drew  forth  the  rover's  net 
once  more,  and  opening  it,  out  sped  the  two 
fishes,  and  diving  to  the  depths  of  the  pond, 
were  quickly  lost  to  view. 

Next,  this  waggish  imp  gazed  about  with 
his  roguish  eyes  until  they  espied  two  flat 
stones.  These  he  rolled,  with  much  exertion, 
to  the  edge  of  the  pond,  and,  putting  them 


WASSA  S    THEFT.  4! 

into  the  net,  cast  it  once  more  into  the 
water. 

Down  to  the  depths  of  the  lake  went  the 
weighted  net,  and  a  shower  of  spray  arose, 
while  Toto,  delighted  at  the  success  of  his 
plan,  danced  joyfully  about,  and  then  bounded 
into  the  woods  and  sought  the  hollow  tree  that 
served  him  for  a  home.  Into  this  he  crept, 
and  sinking  on  to  his  bed  of  moss,  was  soon 
asleep. 

The  sun  rose  on  a  scene  so  peaceful  and 
quiet  that  no  one  would  have  believed  that 
hundreds  of  elves  had  made  it  their  play 
ground. 


42          THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

FAIRY    WELL    AND    PLOT    OF    GNOMES. 

The  next  morning  the  little  brown  beetle 
crawled  from  under  a  large  leaf  that  grew  on 
a  tree  near  by  Lily  Pond,  where  the  hunter's 
nets  were  cast,  and  that  had  served  him  for  a 
roof  during  the  night,  and  looked  about  him. 
He  had  seen  the  revels  of  the  elves  or  fairies, 
and  his  little  mind  was  still  in  a  state  of  bewil 
derment,  for  the  brown  beetle's  mind  moved 
slowly,  and  the  rapid  manner  in  which  the 
little  elves  worked  quite  dazed  his  dull,  honest 
brain. 

"  It  serves  them  rio;ht  for  beino;  so  envious  !  " 

o  o 

exclaimed  a  voice,  suddenly  disturbing  the 
brown  beetle's  revery. 

The  beetle  was  not  nervous,  but  he  had 
thought  himself  alone,  and  he  gave  a  little 
start  of  surprise  as  he  turned  in  the  direction 
of  the  voice. 

The  blue  dragon-fly  was  poised  on  a  tall  and 


FAIRY    WFI  L    AND     I'LOT    OF    <;N"MKS.  43 

slender  blade  of  grass,  that  hardly  quivered 
under  the  light  weight  as  she  fanned  her 
gau/y  wings  in  order  to  balance  herself  grace 
fully.  The  swarm  of  gnats  who  attended  on 
her  hovered  together  in  the  warm  air  at  a 
respectful  distance  from  their  haughty  queen. 

"  Well  !"  said  the  dragon-fly  impatiently,  as 
the  brown  beetle  made  no  reply  to  her  remark. 

The  good-natured  beetle  looked  inquiringly 
at  the  blue  dragon-fly,  but  as  he  was  not  sure 
to  what  she  referred,  and  therefore  was  igno 
rant  as  to  what  reply  she  expected  him  to 
make,  wisely  concluded  that  it  was  best  to  keep 
silent. 

"  Stupid  creature  !  "  muttered  the  blue  drag 
on-fly  with  an  angry  quiver  of  her  wings,  as 
.she  said  aloud :  "  I  am  waiting  to  see  how 
vexed  the  rover's  children  will  be  when  they 
find  only  stones  in  their  net." 

"  Stones  ?  "  inquired  the  beetle  mildly. 

"  Yes,  stones"  replied  the  blue  dragon-fly 
sharply.  "  The  stones  Toto  the  Slim  put  in 
their  nets  in  place  of  the  fishe-." 

The  brown  beetle  might  indeed  look  be 
wildered,  for  all  he  knew  about  the  matter  was 
that  the  elves  had  put  two  fishes  into  the 


44          THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

rover's  nets.  He  did  not  know  that  the  mis 
chievous  Toto  had  remained  behind,  and, 
releasing  the  fishes,  had  put  two  flat  stones  in 
their  place. 

"  I  was  not  aware  of  that,"  stammered  the 
brown  beetle  ;  "  I  thought  they  were  fishes." 

"  The  elves  were  foolish  enough  to  leave  two 
fishes  in  the  rover's  net,"  answered  the  blue 
dragon-fly,  "  but  Toto  the  Slim,  who  has  more 
brains  than  all  the  rest  put  together,  thought 
the  rover's  children  deserved  to  go  without  any 
fishes  at  all,  and  after  the  elves  had  gone  he 
remained  behind,  and,  releasing  the  fishes, 
replaced  them  by  two  stones.  Now,  I  am 
waiting  to  see  Wassa's  disappointment  when 
she  finds  what  the  nets  contain.  What  fun  it 
will  be,  when  she  thinks  the  nets  heavy  with 
fish,  to  see  her  vexation  at  sight  of  the  great 
flat  stones  !  "  and  the  dragon-fly  laughed  mis 
chievously. 

"  It  is  very  warm  here ;  fan  me !  "  ordered 
the  dragon-fly  to  her  maids-in-waiting,  after  a 
moments  silence. 

The  submissive  attendants  fluttered  up  to 
their  queen,  and  fanned  their  wings  until  they 
succeeded  in  raising  a  slight  breeze. 


FAIRY    WELL    AND    PLOT   OF    (i.\'>Ml>. 


45 


"  That  will  do,"  ordered  the  queen  after  a 
while,  and  the  obedient  maids-in-waiting  retired 
to  a  respectful  distance. 

"  Fly  to  the  rover's  lake,  watch  for  Wassa's 
coming,  then  acquaint  me,"  commanded  the 
blue  dragon-fly,  and  away  swarmed  the  gnats. 

Then  the  brown  beetle  and  the  blue  dragon 
fly  heard  a  crackling  among  the  dry  twigs  and 
leaves,  and  in  a  moment  the  branches  were 


thrust  aside,  and  a  light  form  springing 
through  the  opening  stood  on  the  shore  of  the 
pond. 

It  was  little  Mona,  the  hunter's  child  —  the 
brown    beetle,    slow    as    was    his    mind,    had 


46         THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

learned  to  know  her  from  the  conversation  of 
the  elves,  and  this  he  communicated  in  a  whis 
per  to  the  blue  dragon-fly. 

The  little  maid  stood  by  the  pond,  holding 
back  the  branches  with  both  hands,  and  bend 
ing  forward  to  gaze  into  the  water.  A  very 
pretty  picture  she  made,  with  her  cap  embroid 
ered  by  her  mother's  loving  fingers  with  porcu 
pine  quills  stained  in  brilliant  colors,  her  short 
garment  of  rabbit  skins,  and  her  pretty  moc 
casins  and  leggins.  So  thought  the  honest 
brown  beetle,  and  the  blue  dragon-fly  thought 
so,  too. 

Soon  Mona's  bright  eyes  caught  sight  of 
the  nets  of  which  she  was  in  search,  and, 
quickly  loosing  her  hold  of  the  branches,  with 
a  light  bound  she  reached  the  spot  where  the 
nets  lay,  and  drew  them  ashore.  The  two 
fishes  that  were  within  plunged  and  leapt  on 
the  grass,  and,  quickly  securing  them,  the  little 
maid  departed. 

No  sooner  was  Mona  gone  than  the  dragon 
fly's  attendants  came  swarming  back  from 
the  rover's  pond.  Something  had  evidently 
thrown  them  into  a  state  of  great  excitement, 
but  so  strict  were  their  rules  of  etiquette  that 


FAIRY    WELL    AM)    PLOT    OF   GN"MI->.  47 

nothing  could  have  tempted  them  to  address 
their  queen  until  she  had  given  them  permis 
sion  to  do  so. 

"Well?"  demanded  the  blue  dragon-fly 
in  a  condescending  tone,  "what  have  ye  to 
report  ?  " 

"Gracious  lady,"  replied  the  first  lady-in- 
waiting  deferentially,  "  we  followed  thy  com 
mands  and  hovered  over  the  lake  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  rover's  nets.  Ere,  long  we 
heard  the  sound  of  approaching  footsteps,  and 
soon  the  rover's  children  appeared.  '  I  wish 
we  might  see  Mona  when  she  finds  her  nets 
empty,'  said  Wassa  as  she  seized  the  cord  of 
her  own  nets  and  began  pulling  them  toward 
the  shore.  '  How  heavy  they  are  !  '  she  cried 
as  she  drew  them  through  the  water;  *  we  shall 
have  plenty  of  fishes  to-day.' 

"  Imagine  her  surprise,  gracious  queen, 
when,  instead  of  fishes,  two  large,  flat  stones 
lay  in  the  nets ! "  She  exclaimed  angrily, 
4  This  is  Mona's  work  !  '  and  the  other  chil 
dren  echoed,  *  Yes,  this  is  Mona's  work  !  It  is 
she  who  did  the  mischief.' 

"  Then,  gracious  lady,  my  attention  was  sud 
denly  attracted  by  a  tall,  yellow  lily  that  waved 


48         THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

to  and  fro  on  its  stem,  and  looking  closely,  I 
beheld  the  tiny  face  of  that  roguish  elf,  Toto 
the  Slim.  Leaping  from  the  chalice  of  the 
lily,  down  the  slender  stalk  he  climbed,  and, 
after  a  wild  dance  of  exultation,  away  he 
sped." 

"  Return  to  thy  story  of  the  children," 
commanded  the  queen  haughtily,  and  the 
maid  of  honor  submissively  continued  her 
story  :  — 

"  Pardon  me,  my  lady  queen ;  I  imagined  it 
would  be  of  interest  to  know  that  Toto  the 
Slim  was  at  the  bottom  of  the  mischief,  for  of 
that  I  am  sure  from  the  merry  expression  of 
his  face. 

"  The  children  soon  recovered  from  their 
surprise,  and  Wassa  cried :  *  We  will  pay  the 
proud  maid  for  this.  We  will  teach  her  to 
play  tricks  on  us.'  And,  gracious  queen,  they 
are  now  on  their  way  hither." 

No  sooner  had  the  maid  of  honor  ceased 
speaking  than  Wassa  appeared,  followed  by 
her  brother  and  sisters.  With  angry  haste 
they  drew  in  the  nets  that  Mona  had,  a  few 
moments  before,  thrown  into  the  water,  and, 
with  hands  and  feet,  endeavored  to  tear  them 


I  AIRY    \\KLI.    AND    PLOT    OF    GNOMES.  49 

to  pieces ;  but  the  nets  were  strongly  made, 
and  resisted  their  violent  efforts.  Then  a  new 
idea  entered  Wassa's  mind. 

"  We  will  roll  a  big  stone  into  the  nets  and 
sink  them  where  they  will  never  again  be 
found,"  she  exclaimed. 

Away  went  the  excited  children  in  search  of 
a  stone  large  enough  to  suit  their  purpose,  and 
soon  espied  one  not  far  away.  By  dint  of 
great  pushing  they  at  last  succeeded  in  rolling 
it  to  the  spot  where  the  nets  lay,  then,  twining 
the  nets  about  it,  they  carefully  pushed  it  to 
the  edge  of  the  lake. 

One  vigorous  push,  and  in  went  the  heavy 
stone,  and  the  children  ran  quickly  back  to 
escape  the  shower  of  water  that  arose  as  the 
stone  splashed  in.  In  a  moment  more  all  was 
as  still  as  before,  —  the  calm  surface  of  the 
lake  looked  as  if  it  might  keep  forever  the 
secret  of  the  hidden  nets. 

After  a  cautious  survey  of  the  still  water, 
and  sure  that  no  trace  of  their  ill  deed  was 
left  to  betray  them,  the  children  went  home, 
well  satisfied  with  the  success  of  their  naughty 
trick. 

"  How  spiteful  they  are  !  "  exclaimed  the  blue 


THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 


dragon-fly  indignantly,  "  and  all  because  they 
are  envious  of  Mona  and  the  pretty  things  she 
wears ! " 

"  Beware  of  all  the  passions  wild, 
But  the  saddest  of  all,  an  envious  child," 

sang  a  voice  from  above,  and  the  tiny  elf,  Toto 
the  Slim,  was  seen  astride  the  limb  of  an  oak 
that  grew  above  the  spots  where 
the  brown  beetle  and  the  blue 
dragon-fly  were  stationed. 

"  This    is    a   pretty    state    of 
affairs ! "     exclaimed    the    blue 
dragon-fly.     "  Now,   those   nets 
of  the  hunter  Tie  at 
the   bottom   of   the 
lake  and  there  they 
will  stay." 


"  There  they  will  stay 
Till  close  of  day ; 
In  moonbeams  bright 
They'll  come  to  light." 

As  Toto  the  Slim  said  these  words,  he  slid 
down  from  the  branch  on  which  he  was  seated, 
and  popped  into  the  hollow  of  the  tree  that 
served  as  his  house. 


1AIRY    \\KLL   AND    PLOT   OF    <-V'MES.  5! 

Long  the  blue  dragon-fly  and  the  brown 
beetle  pondered  over  the  words  of  the  elf,  but 
it  meant  nothing  to  them ;  for  how  could 
moonlight  disclose  the  nets  that  lay  at  the 
bottom  of  the  lake,  when  they  could  not  be 
seen  in  the  brighter  sunlight? 

While  the  blue  dragon-fly  and  the  brown 
beetle  are  pondering  over  the  words  of  the  elf 
Toto,  we  will  turn  to  other  friends. 

That  same  night,  as  soon  as  the  woods  were 
quiet  and  dark,  a  little  gnome  might  have 
been  seen  coming  down  Blue  Hill.  Bounding 
over  stones  and  bushes,  swinging  on  grape 
vines,  leaping  across  streams  and  chasms,  on 
went  the  little  gnome  until  he  reached  the 
hollow  tree  in  which  dwelt  the  elf  Toto  the 
Slim.  Standing  at  the  foot  of  the  tree, 
the  gnome  called  out :  - 

"  Wake  up,  wake  up,  friend  elf,  I  pray, 
And  hear  the  words  I  have  to  say." 

No  sooner  were  these  words  spoken  than 
the  rosy,  roguish  face  of  Toto  appeared  at  the 
opening  that  led  to  his  snug  home,  and  in  a 
trice  he  slid  down  the  tree  and  alighted  at  the 
gnome's  feet,  saying :  — 


52         THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

"  At  thy  service,  little  gnome, 
So  prithee  say  wherefore  thou'st  come." 

The  gnome  made  an  answer  thus  :  — 
"  To  to  the  Slim,  I  have  a  plan,  to  which  I 
hope  thou  wilt  agree.  There  are  two  things 
that  weigh  on  my  mind  greatly.  One  is,  to 
see  the  envy  that  is  in  Wassa's  heart  toward 
the  hunter's  little  maid,  whom  we  all  love,  and 
who  has  not  deserved  such  unkind  treatment 
at  Wassa's  hands.  The  other  is,  the  best  way 
to  avenge  the  insults  our  giant  enemies  con 
stantly  put  upon  us.  Now,  I  have  bethought 
me  of  a  plan  to  kill  two  birds  with  one  stone 
and  settle  both  of  these  matters  at  the  same 
time.  How  would  it  do  to  have  the  giants, 
when  the  rover's  family  are  fast  asleep,  lift  up 
the  hut  and  bear  it  with  its  inmates  far  away, 
where  they  will  never  trouble  Mona  more  ? 
Now,  this  will  relieve  the  hunter's  little  maid 
of  all  annoyances,  and  will  get  the  giants  into 
trouble,  for  thou  know'st  they  may  do  nothing 
unless  ordered  by  the  little  gray  man.  What 
think'st  thou  of  my  plan,  friend  elf  ?  " 

"  Thy  plan  is  excellent,  friend  gnome," 
replied  Toto  the  Slim,  always  ready  to  fall 
in  with  any  project  that  promised  mischief. 


FAIRY    WELL    AND    PLOT    OF    <;.\<>MI     .  53 

'One  difficulty  alone  occurs  to  me.  The 
giants  on  whom  thou  hast  practised  so  many 
tricks  will  at  once  suspect  thee  of  a  snare  to 
entrap  them.  Thou  wilt  have  to  find  some 
messenger  whom  they  will  believe." 

"  Of  that  I  have  thought,"  replied  the 
gnome,  "  and  I  have  provided  for  it.  The 
blue  dragon-fly  is  on  friendly  terms  with  the 
giants,  and  would  be  a  fitting  messenger. 
Say'st  thou  not  so  ?" 

"  None  better,"  said  Toto  the  Slim. 

u  Then  the  sooner  I  see  her  the  better," 
replied  the  gnome,  "  so  good  night,  friend  elf." 

Away  sped  the  gnome  on  his  mischievous 
errand,  and  the  elf  crept  back  to  his  bed, 
where  he  soon  slept  soundly  once  more. 

The  next  day  the  blue  dragon-fly  called 
pettishly  to  her  attendants,  "  Knows  any  one 
the  whereabouts  of  the  giants  to-day  ?" 

"  May  it  please  thy  ladyship,"  began  the  first 
lady-in-waiting,  "  we  heard  that  the  giants 
have  found  the  heat  so  oppressive  that  they 
departed  this  morning  for  the  sea-shore,  to 
wade  about  in  the  channel,  hoping  to  refresh 
themselves  after  the  restless  night  they  had 
passed." 


54         THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

"  Very  well,"  replied  the  blue  dragon-fly 
waving  them  back,  "  then  I  will  await  their 
return.  Follow  me." 

Away  flew  the  dragon-fly,  followed  at  a  re 
spectful  distance  by  her  attendants. 

So  light  was  the  blue  dragon-fly,  and  so 
strong  her  gauzy  wings,  that  before  long  she 
reached  Blue  Hill  that  she  knew  to  be  the 
headquarters  of  the  giants.  As  she  soared  up 
the  hill,  she  all  at  once  heard  the  regular  click 
of  hammers,  and  the  sound  of  voices  keeping 
time  with  the  blows.  As  she  approached,  she 
saw,  on  the  side  of  the  hill  that  looks  toward 
the  setting  sun  and  which,  then  as  now,  re 
flected  his  last  rays,  hundreds  of  little  gnomes 
at  work  with  their  tiny  hammers. 

Sturdy  of  limb,  with  peaked  caps,  peaked 
beards,  and  grave  faces,  the  little  band  worked 
industriously  away,  and  the  blue  dragon-fly 
lighted  on  a  tree  near  by,  and  listened  to  the 
song  they  sang  :  — 

"  Spirit  of  yon  leafy  dell, 
Grant,  we  beg,  a  fairy  well. 
May  its  waters,  fresh  as  dew, 
Flow  only  for  the  good  and  true. 
Should  the  bad  and  false  pass  by, 


1AIKV   \\KI.1.   AND 


"1    GNOMES. 


55 


Be  for  them  this  fountain  dry. 
Should  an  envious  face  peer  in, 
Reflect,  we  pray,  with  all  its  sin. 
The  horror  of  an  envious  mind, 
Of  all  sad  sights,  the  worst  we  find, 
And  what  grieves  most  the  fairies  mild, 
The  manners  of  an  envious  child." 

As  the  song  ceased,  the  gnomes  paused  in 


their  work,  and  all  gazed  toward  the  meadows 
that   lav  below,  and  through  which  a  stream 


56  THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF   THE    BLUE    HILL. 

ran  like  a  silver  thread.  A  white  mist, 
through  which  a  delicate  form  was  faintly 
seen,  rose  from  the  water,  and,  seeming  to 
bend  toward  the  Blue  Hill,  gradually  floated 
away  and  faded  in  the  distance. 

At  the  instant  the  last  wreath  of  mist  dis 
appeared,  a  gurgling  of  water  was  heard,  and 
from  the  rock  where  the  gnomes  had  been  at 
work  there  gushed  a  stream  of  water  clear  as 
crystal,  and  filled  the  basin  that  had  been 
made. 

Whereupon  the  little  gnomes  made  obei 
sance  toward  the  place  where  the  spirit  of  the 
dell  had  appeared,  while  they  uttered  these 
words :  — 

"Thanks,  fair  spirit  of  yon  dell, 
For  granting  us  a  fairy  spell. 
May  this  sparkling  little  rill 
Refresh  those  travelling  up  Blue  Hill ; 
But  should  the  envious  come  this  way, 
Help  them  to  cure  their  fault,  we  pray." 

As  they  ended,  the  gnomes  shouldered  their 
little  hammers  and  ascended  the  hill  in  single 
file,  the  blue  dragon-fly  gazing  with  amaze 
ment  after  their  retreating  figures. 

"  Can  I  have  been    dreaming  ? "  asked    the 


FAIKV    WELL    AND    PLOT    OF    <;.\«»MKS.  57 

blue  dragon-fly  of  herself.  No,  she  could  not 
have  been,  for  there  was  the  newly  hewn  well 
full  of  clear  water." 

"  Now,  if  envious  Wassa  could  look  in, 
what  a  picture  she  would  see!"  thought  the 
blue  dragon-fly. 

A  distant  rumbling  was  now  heard. 

"  There  are  no  clouds  in  the  sky,  so  it  can't 
be  thunder,"  said  the  blue  dragon-fly  to  her 
self.  "It  must  be  the  giants  laughing.  It  is  for 
tunate  for  me  that  they  are  in  a  good  humor." 

Nearer  and  nearer  came  the  rumbling,  and 
soon  the  blue  dragon-fly  could  distinguish  the 
loud  "  ha  —  ha — ha!  "of  the  big  fellows,  and 
before  long  their  great  forms  came  into  view. 
The  dragon-fly  watched  them  as,  one  by  one, 
they  jumped  across  the  pond  that  lay  in  their 
path,  and  a  few  strides  brought  them  to  the  hill. 

As  the  giants  strode  up  the  hill,  the  blue 
dragon-fly  flew  toward  them,  and  lighted  on 
the  hand  of  the  foremost. 

li  Ho,  ho  !  my  little  lady,  is  that  you?  "  roared 
King  Cloudcatcher,  holding  the  tiny  creature 
before  him,  and  as  he  spoke  his  breath  raised 
such  a  breeze  that  she  was  nearly  blown  off  his 
huge  hand. 


58         THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 


CHAPTER  V. 

WASSA    MAKES  A    PLAN. 

"  What  can  we  do  for  thee  ?  "  asked  the  giant 
king  good-naturedly. 

The  dragon-fly  lost  no  time  in  acquainting 
the  giant  with  the  task  assigned  to  him,  and 
ended  her  tale  by  begging  him  to  avenge  the 
tricks  played  upon  the  hunter's  family. 

"  What  wouldst  thou  have  us  do  ?  "  asked 
King  Cloudcatcher,  who  was  as  dull-witted  as 
his  subjects. 

"  Take  up  the  rover's  hut  and  carry  it  as  far 
away  as  those  mountains  yonder,"  replied  the 
blue  dragon-fly  promptly,  nodding  her  little 
head  in  the  direction  of  the  dim  line  of  moun 
tains  outlined  against  the  distant  horizon. 

o 

"  Our  master  might  not  be  pleased,  little 
lady,"  answered  the  giant,  "  if  we  did  that  with 
out  his  bidding." 

"  I  should  think  you  were  big  enough  to  be 
your  own  masters,"  said  the  blue  dragon-fly 
sarcastically. 


WASSA    MAKKS    A     I'l.XN.  59 

u  Our  bodies  are  big  and  so  are  our  heads," 
replied  the  giant,  "  but  the  master  says  they 
contain  very  little  brains.  It  might  bring 
trouble  upon  us,  lady-bird,  to  do  as  thou 
wishest." 

u  I  will  take  the  responsibility,"  said  the  blue 
dragon-fly  loftily. 

The  giant  king  laughed  so  loudly  at  this 
boastful  speech  of  the  blue  dragon-fly  that  the 
little  creature  was  blown  suddenly  off  his  great 
finger.  She  soon  recovered  her  balance,  how 
ever,  and  alighted  at  a  safe  distance  upon  a 
bush  that  grew  near  by.  The  other  giants 
joined  in  their  king's  mirth,  and  the  hill  rever 
berated  with  their  loud  laughter. 

"  Yes,"  repeated  the  blue  dragon-fly,  when 
silence  was  restored,  "  I  will  take  the  responsi 
bility.  What  is  there  so  amusing  in  that  ?  What 
harm  can  come  from  doing  my  bidding  ?  Two 
of  ye  can  take  up  the  hut  with  the  rover's 
family  inside,  and  set  it  down  again  before 
they  know  what  has  happened." 

"  The  little  lady  is  right,  by  my  faith,"  said 
one  of  the  giants;  "there  can  be  no  harm 
in  it." 

It  was  decided  that  after  the  moon  had  risen 


6O         THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

that  evening  two  of  the  strongest  and  most 
reliable  giants  should  lift  the  rover's  hut  and 
bear  it  so  far  away  that  the  hunter's  family 
should  suffer  no  more  persecutions  at  their 
hands. 

As  soon  as  this  plan  was  agreed  upon,  the 
blue  dragon-fly  flew  home,  followed  by  her 
attendants,  who  had  all  this  time  remained 
obediently  near. 

The  day  deepened  into  afternoon,  and  the 
sun  set  behind  the  western  woods  ;^  twilight 
came  on  with  its  soft  shadows,  and  at  last  the 
moon  rose  over  the  eastern  brow  of  Blue  Hill 
and  sailed  into  the  sky,  lighting  up  the  mead 
ows  and  casting  a  silver  sheen  over  the  winding 
river.  Sometimes  the  shining  stream  seemed 
lost  amid  the  tangle  of  trees  and  shrubs,  but 
there  it  was  again,  glistening  brighter  than  ever 
in  the  clear  moonlight. 

No  noise  was  heard  save  the  chirping  of 
crickets  and  tree-toads,  and  the  occasional  cry 
of  a  night  hawk.  Then  dowrn  Blue  Hill  came 
the  giants,  and  strode  toward  the  pond  on 
whose  shores  the  rover's  hut  stood. 

Half  hidden  by  trees  was  the  hut,  built  of 
trees  and  boughs  roughly  put  together.  It 


\VAS>.\     MAKKS    A     II  AN. 


6l 


was  a  very  crude  affair,  and  all  the  light  that 
entered  came  through  the  open  door. 

The  two  giants  who  were  to  carry  away  the 
hut  cautiously  approached,  and  stooping  down, 
looked  in  through  the  open  door.  The  inside 
of  the  hut  was  as  untidy  as  was  the  outside,  and 
the  giants  saw  the  rover's  family  fast  asleep  on 
beds  of  fir  boughs. 

Satisfied  that  everything  was  in  readiness 
for  their  plan,  the  giants  rose  to  their  feet  and 


prepared  to  begin  their  work,  while  their  com 
panions  stationed  themselves  at  a  distance  to 
watch  the  proceeding. 

The  two  giants  bent  over  to  raise  the  hut 
from  the  ground,  but  no  sooner  had  they  placed 


62         THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

their  hands  under  the  rude  structure  than  a 
voice  was  heard  to  say  :  — 

"  Hold,  ye  knaves  !  What  is  it  ye  are  about 
to  do  ?  " 

The  two  giants  quickly  straightened  them 
selves  to  their  full  height  and  looked  about 
them.  Standing  on  a  rock  near  by  was  the 
little  gray  man,  who  looked  sternly  at  them. 

"  The  blue  dragon-fly  told  us  to.  We  did  it 
but  to  please  her,"  the  giants  hastened  to  say. 

"  Is  the  blue  dragon-fly  your  mistress  ?  Have 
ye  sworn  obedience  to  her?"  demanded  the 
little  man  in  gray. 

"  Pardon,  master,"  they  humbly  answered, 
"but  the  rover's  family  persecute  the  honest 
hunter,  and  we  thought  to  remove  them  out  of 
their  reach.  We  meant  no  harm." 

"  Your  duty  is  to  obey,  mine  to  command," 
sternly  replied  the  little  gray  man.  "  Do  thou, 
Deepdrinker,  follow  me." 

The  giant  thus  designated  meekly  followed 
his  master  to  the  shores  of  Lily  Pond,  in  whose 
depths  Wassa  had  sunken  the  hunter's  nets, 
and  the  little  gray  man  commanded  :  — 

"  Drain  the  pond  at  one  draught." 

The  huge  giant  threw  himself  prostrate  on 


WASSA     MARKS    A    PI. AN.  63 

the  ground,  and,  taking  a  deep  breath,  put  his 
lips  into  the  water  and  drank  deeply.  Gradu 
ally  the  water  receded  from  the  margin  of  the 
pond,  and  the  giant  drank  on,  until  the  muddy 
basin  was  disclosed,  and  in  it  the  large  stone 
around  which  Wassa  had  twisted  the  hunter's 
nets. 

"Thou  hast  done  well,  Deepdrinker;  it  was 
a  goodly  draught,"  said  the  little  gray  man. 
"  Rockroller,  come  hither." 

Another  giant  stepped  out  from  among  his 
companions,  and  approached  the  edge  of  the 
pond  as  Deepdrinker  arose  to  his  feet. 

"  Reach  out  thy  hand,  Rockroller,  free  the 
nets,  and  toss  yon  pebble  over  the  hill,"  again 
commanded  the  little  gray  man. 

The  giant  did  as  he  was  bidden,  extricated 
carefully  the  nets  that  had  been  twisted  about 
the  large  stone,  and  then,  lifting  the  stone  be 
tween  his  thumb  and  finger,  as  if  it  had  indeed 
been  a  pebble,  tossed  it  lightly  over  Blue  Hill. 

"  Swiftstepper,  do  thou  take  the  nets  and  put 
them  in  their  proper  places,"  commanded  the 
little  gray  man,  "and  then  back  to  bed,  ye 
sleepy  heads." 

The  little  crray    man    vanished  as  suddenly 


64         THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

as  he  had  appeared,  and  Swiftstepper,  standing 
with  one  foot  on  each  shore  of  the  pond,  care 
fully  replaced  the  hunter's  nets,  as  the  little 
gray  man  had  bidden,  and  then  he  rejoined  his 
companions. 

It  was  fortunate  for  the  safety  of  the  gnomes 
that  the  giants  did  not  discover  the  little  faces 
with  their  peaked  beards  and  caps  peeping  out 
from  behind  bushes  and  rocks,  watching  with 
mischievous  enjoyment  the  success  of  their 
plot ;  and  still  more  fortunate  was  it  that  they 
did  not  hear  the  shrill,  jeering  laughs  that  arose 
at  the  sharp  reproof  of  the  little  man  in  gray. 

Great  was  Wassa's  surprise,  the  next  morn 
ing,  at  finding  the  hunter's  nets  cast  in  the 
usual  place. 

"  Perhaps  the  fairies  did  it,"  suggested  one  of 
her  little  sisters. 

"  Nonsense  !  there  are  no  fairies,  I  tell  thee," 
replied  Wassa  angrily.  "  How  dost  thou  sup 
pose  fairies  could  get  that  great  rock  out  of  the 
water  ?  " 

"  Then  maybe  the  giants  did  it,"  said  the 
brother. 

"  There  are  no  giants  either ;  thou  know'st 
that  as  well  as  I,"  replied  Wassa. 


\VASSA    MAKES    A     I'l  AN.  65 

"  I  saw  something  one  day  that  looked  just 
like  a  fairy,"  said  the  youngest  sister  timidly. 
"  It  looked  like  a  tiny  face  peeping  out  of  a 
pond  lily." 

u  T\vas  a  dragon-fly  or  a  butterfly,  tlmu 
little  goose,"  replied  Wassa.  "  Thou  art  as 
foolish  as  Mona  to  imagine  thou  see'st  fairies." 

M  \Vlio  dost  thou  think  took  the  nets  and 
stone  out  of  the  pond  ? "  asked  the  brother. 

"  The  witches,  I  suppose,"  replied  Wassa 
with  a  laugh. 

"  There  is  Mona  now,"  said  one  of  the  little 
maids,  pointing  in  the  direction  of  the  hunter's 
hut. 

Through  the  tall  forest  trees  the  children 
saw  Mona  busily  at  work  in  her  little  garden. 
She  had  transplanted  with  much  pains  many  of 
the  prettiest  wild  flowers,  and  columbine  and 
violets  and  innocence  were  blooming  as  freshly 
and  cheerfully  as  if  they  had  sprung  up  of  their 
own  accord. 

"  See  how  proud  the  little  maid  is,"  whis 
pered  the  brother ;  "  dost  thou  not  see  how 
careful  she  is  not  to  spoil  her  fine  clothes  ? " 

"  If  it  were  not  for  her  fine  clothes,  she 
wouldn't  look  any  better  than  any  one  else," 


66         THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

answered  Wassa  angrily.  "  See  that  silly  cap 
perched  on  the  lop  of  her  head !  I  wish  we 
could  get  it  away  from  her ! " 

"  I'll  snatch  it  off  the  next  time  I  see  her," 
said  the  lad. 

"  No,  no,  thou  must  not  do  that,"  replied 
Wassa.  "  Let  me  think." 

Wassa  was  silent  for  a  few  minutes,  then  she 
resumed,  with  a  meaning  nod  toward  Mona:  — 

"  I  know  how  to  manage  it.  Thou  shalt  see 
how  easily  I  will  arrange  matters,"  and  away 
ran  Wassa  toward  Mona  at  work  in  her  little 
garden. 

The  two  little  maids  and  their  brother  left 
behind  had  such  unbounded  confidence  in 
Wassa  that  they  were  no£  surprised  to  see 
Mona,  after  a  few  words,  follow  Wassa  with  a 
smiling  countenance. 

The  hunter's  little  maid  was  so  much .  by 
herself  that  she  was  overjoyed  at  the  prospect 
of  playmates,  and  Wassa  was  usually-  so  un 
friendly  that  Mona  was  very  glad  to  find  her 
in  so  gracious  a  mood. 

The  younger  children  could  not  understand 
why  Wassa  should  so  suddenly  be  on  such 
cordial  terms  with  the  hunter's  maid,  but  they 


WASSA     MAKKS    A     I'LAX.  67 

always  fell  in  with  her  moods,  and  soon  all  the 
children  were  playing  happily  together. 

Mona,  who  had  always  been  obliged  to  play 
by  herself,  was  particularly  happy  at  finding 
the  rover's  children  so  affable,  and  was  ready 
to  believe  that  their  natures  had  undergone 
a  change,  and  that  henceforth  all  was  to  be 
peace  and  sunshine.  Her  gay  laughter  rang 
merrily  through  the  woods,  and  her  play  was 
the  wildest  of  all. 

Farther  and  farther  from  home  strayed 
the  children,  led  on  by  Wassa,  until  Mona, 
breathless  from  a  wild  chase,  was  startled 
to  find  herself  where  she  had  never  before 
been. 

"  I  must  go  home  directly,"  criejd  Mona 
anxiously;  "my  mother  will  think  we  are 
lost." 

"  There  is  no  hurry,"  replied  Wassa  confi 
dently;  "we  are  at  the  foot  of  Blue  Hill,  and 
we  may  as  well  ascend  it,  for  we  shall  have 
time  to  reach  home  before  sundown.  I  know 
the  way  very  well,  and  it  will  take  but  a  little 
while." 

"I  don't  dare,"  replied  Mona;  "my  mother 
is  always  anxious  if  I  am  away  long.  Some 


68         THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

other  time,  dear  Wassa,  I  shall  be  glad  to  go 
with  thee." 

"  Thou  canst  not  go  until  I  do,"  replied 
Wassa,  "  for  thou  dost  not  know  the  way. 
Thou  wilt  get  lost,  and  the  bears  come  out  at 
night,  and  they  will  eat  thee  up.  So  thou 
see'st,  thou  mayst  as  well  have  the  pleasure  of 
going  up  the  hill." 

At  these  words  Wassa  began  to  ascend  the 
footpath  made  by  the  feet  of  the  giants,  her 
brother  and  sisters  closely  following  her.  The 
hunter's  little  maid  hesitated  for  a  moment, 
and  then  reluctantly  joined  the  party. 

Mona's  nature  was  a  happy  one,  and  when 
she  considered  that  the  only  course  left  her 
was  to  keep  with  the  rover's  children,  she  re 
solved  to  make  the  best  of  the  matter;  so 
whenever  the  thought  of  home  and  her  mother 
came  into  her  mind,  she  put  it  resolutely 
aside. 

Up  the  hill  roamed  the  children,  stopping 
occasionally  to  pick  the  blueberries  that  grew 
in  thick  clusters  on  each  side  of  the  path,  or  to 
peer  into  the  numerous  caves  they  passed,  half 
expecting  to  see  some  strange  animal  spring 
out  at  them.  When  about  half  way  up  the 


WASSA    MAKES    A    PLAN.  69 

hill  they  came  upon  the  fairy-well  the  gnomes 
had  so  lately  made. 

"  Oh !  what  beautiful  clear  water !  "  ex 
claimed  the  hunter's  little  maid.  "  I  can  see 
my  face  there,  it  is  so  clear ;  "  and  all  the 
children  crowded  around  to  catch  a  glimpse 
of  themselves. 

"  Let  me  look!  "  cried  Wassa,  coming  from 
behind  and  looking  over  the  heads  of  the  other 
children. 

What  a  picture  was  seen  in  the  clear  surface 
of  the  fairy-well,  dear  readers!  Above  the 
head  of  Mona  with  her  pretty  cap  and  the 
happy  faces  of  the  younger  children,  appeared 
the  face  of  Wassa,  but  how  transfigured  by  the 
magic  well !  Reflected  in  the  clear  water,  so 
changed  was  the  countenance  with  its  distorted 
features  and  complexion  of  green,  that  the  other 
children  started  back  in  terror,  and  gazed  at 
their  sister  to  see  what  had  brought  about  so 
sudden  a  change. 

No,  Wassa's  face  had  not  changed.  What 
they  saw  was  wrought  by  the  spell  of  the  spirit 
of  the  dell. 

"  How  dreadful  thy  picture  in  the  water  is,' 
said  one  of  the  little  maids;  u  it  looks  as  if  thou 


THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 


wast  making  up  a  face,  and  thy  complexion  is 
all  green." 

"  I  did  make  up  a  face,"  replied  Wassa,  whc 
had  a  secret  misgiving  that  the  spring  was 
reflecting  the  envious  thoughts  that  filled  her 
breast.  "  Come,  let  us  go  farther  on,  or  we 
cannot  be  home  before  dark." 

On    went   the   children    once    more,   when 

Wassa  suddenly 
walked  to  the 
edge  of  the  path 
and  looked  down. 
"  Just  see  how 
steep  the  side  of 
the  hill  is,"  she  ex 
claimed,  beckon 
ing  to  the  chil 
dren. 

Cautiously  the 
others  approached 
and  gazed  down 
the  steep  hillside.  The  path  was  indeed 
steep,  and  many  large  rocks  lay  in  the  way. 
As  Mona  leant  forward  to  peep  over,  Wassa, 
as  if  by  accident,  pushed  roughly  against  her. 
Mona's  light  cap  fell  off,  and  in  spite  of  her 


WASSA    MAKES    A    PLAN.  71 

quick  efforts  to  recover  it,  the  cap  was  borne 
swiftly  over  the  precipice. 

"  My  cap  !  My  cap !  "  cried  Mona  anxiously  ; 
"  I  must  go  after  it." 

"  Thou  must  not  think  of  such  a  thing,"  said 
Wassa  decidedly.  "  There  it  lies  at  the  foot 
of  the  precipice,  and  thou  couldst  never  climb 
up  again,  even  if  thou  shouldst  manage  to  go 
safely  down." 

"  But  I  must?  replied  Mona.  "  I  cannot  lose 
the  pretty  cap  my  mother  took  such  pains  to 
make  for  me." 

u  It  will  very  soon  be  dark,  and  I  am  going 
home.  Come,  children,"  said  Wassa. 

So  saying,  Wassa  started  to  return,  followed 
by  her  brother  and  sisters.  Looking  back, 
they  saw  Mona  beginning  cautiously  to  de 
scend  the  steep  path. 

M  What  art  thou  doing,  Mona?"  called  Wassa 
sharply. 

"  I  am  going  to  find  my  cap,"  replied  the 
little  maid  resolutely. 

"  Thou  wilt  never  find  thy  way  home,  and 
when  it  is  dark  the  bears  will  come  out  and 
eat  thee,"  said  Wassa.  "  My  father  says  he  has 
often  seen  them  prowling  about  at  night." 


72         THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 


Wassa  thought  this  threat  would  induce 
Mona  to  give  up  her  project,  but  she  was 
mistaken.  Mona  valued  the  cap  highly 
both  for  the  sake  of  her 
mother,  who  had  taken  great 
pleasure  in  making  it  for 
her  little  daughter,  and  also 
because  it  was.  so  pretty, 
and,  moreover,  she  was  not 
a  timid  child. 

Wassa  watched  the  light 
figure  of  the  little  maid 
as  she  began  the  descent, 
Carefully  she  caught  the 
boughs  that  came  in  her 
way,  and  held  them  firmly 
to  steady  herself  down  the 
steep  declivity.  When  they 
had  watched  her  half  way 
down,  the  children  turned 
their  steps  homeward,  leav 
ing  Mona  to  her  fate. 

"  I  did  all  I  could  to  per 
suade  her  to  come  with  us, 
did  I  not  ? "  asked  Wassa,  as  the  children 
walked  rapidly  down  the  hill. 


WASSA    MAKES    A    PLAN. 


73 


M  Yes,  certainly  thou  didst,"  they  answered, 
11  but  she  would  not  listen  to  thee." 

In  fact,  Wassa  did  not  intend  that  her  trick 
in  knocking  off  Mona's  cap  should  have  so 
disastrous  an  ending,  and  she  felt  somewhat 
frightened  at  the  result.  Influenced  by  her 
jealousy,  she  was  determined  to  cause  Mona's 
pretty  cap  to  disappear  forever,  but  she  had  not 
thought  that  the  gentle  little  maid  would  dare 
venture  down  the  steep  ravine  to  recover  it. 

Meanwhile  the  sun  was  sinking  lower  and 
lower,  and  the  little  maid  was  continuing  her 
way  down  the  rough  hillside. 


74 


THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 


CHAPTER  VI, 


^      r-= 

HE  ELVES 

•T°    THE 

RESCUE 


With  a  fast-beating  heart  little  Mona  began 
to  descend  the  precipice.  She  hoped  to  re 
cover  the  cap  and  overtake  her  companions 
before  they  were  out  of  hearing,  but  she  did 
not  realize  the  extent  of  the  task  she  had 
undertaken. 

Looking  down  from  the  edge  of  the  preci 
pice,  the  distance  to  the  bottom  did  not  seem 
very  great,  but  the  path  was  rough  and  steep, 
and  Mona  made  very  slow  progress.  Seizing 
for  her  support  the  longest  boughs  within 
reach-,  the  little  maid  carefully  selected  a  secure 
footing  before  releasing  the  bough.  Often  the 
loose  earth  gave  way  as  she  set  her  foot  upon 


THE    ELVES    AND   GNOMES   TO    THE    RKSd'E.    75 

it,  and  fell  crashing  down  the  hillside,  and  then 
it  seemed  as  if  the  task  were  almost  hopeless, 
and  the  cap  looked  as  far  off  as  when  she  first 
started. 

The  cap  hung  on  the  top  of  a  fir  tree  that, 
from  where  the  little  maid  stood,  looked  no 
higher  than  a  bush  of  medium  size,  but  in 
reality  it  was  a  tall  tree  that  had  been  growing 
for  several  generations. 

Mona  had  plenty  of  courage,  and  not  once 
did  she  think  of  giving  up  her  project ;  but  as 
the  sun  sank  lower  and  lower,  and  she  realized 
how  very  little  headway  she  had  made,  a  dread 
ful  misgiving  took  possession  of  her.  "  What 
if  she  should  not  reach  the  bottom  of  the  hill  be 
fore  dark?"  Next  came  the  thought,  "  What 
if  the  bears  did  really  go  prowling  about  at 
night  ?  " 

u  I  will  not  think  of  such  things,"  said 
the  brave  little  maid  to  herself.  "  I  will 
think  of  the  kind  fairies.  Perhaps  there  are 
some  about  here,  and  they  are  watching 
me  now." 

This  last  pleasant  thought  reassured  the 
little  wanderer,  and  she  cheered  herself  by 
imagining  the  flowers  and  trees  about  her 


76         THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

peopled  by  the  small  beings  she  had  learned 
to  love.  If  she  could  but  have  seen  the 
tiny  faces  that  peeped  after  her  from 
their  leafy  hiding-places,  she  would  have  felt 
secure  in  the  thought  that  she  was  not 

alone. 

Bushes  heavy  with  their  weight  of  blueber 
ries  were  on  either  side,  and  wild  flowers  grew 
under  her  footsteps,  but  Mona  did  not  stop  to 
pick  any,  fearing  the  sun  might  go  out  of  sight 
before  she  reached  the  top  of  the  hill  again. 
Soon,  to  her  great  joy,  the  foot  of  the  hill, 
where  the  cherished  cap  hung  on  the  fir  tree, 
seemed  nearer  and  nearer,  and,  looking  back 
on  the  path  down  which  she  had  gone  so 
slowly  and  with  so  much  difficulty,  she  was 
surprised  to  see  how  steep  and  how  far  off  the 
summit  of  the  precipice  was.  This  gave  the 
little  maid  new  hope,  and  she  proceeded  more 
resolutely  than  ever. 

As  Mona  was  feeling  about  with  one  foot 
for  a  foothold  on  which  to  trust  her  weight,  a 
sudden  noise  from  behind  arrested  her  atten 
tion,  and  she  started  violently,  fearing  that  one 
of  the  bears  of  which  Wassa  had  spoken  had 
indeed  come  in  search  of  her;  and,  losing  her 


TIIK    KI.VKS    AND    GNOMES    TO   THE    RESCUE.    77 

hold  by  which  she  had  supported  herself,  the 
earth  on  which  she  stood  gave  way,  and,  with 
a  loud  report  that  vibrated  through  the  silent 
woods,  it  rolled  swiftly  down  the  steep  h'll- 
side,  carrying  with  it  the  terrified  little  maid. 


In  her  fall,  the  thought  of  home  and  par 
ents  passed  rapidly  through  Mona's  mind,  but 
almost  before  she  fully  realized  the  danger 
of  her  situation,  the  slide  that  bore  her  was 


78         THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

arrested  by  a  clump  of  bushes,  and  she  was 
thrown  into  their  leafy  arms.  The  sudden 
shock,  together  with  the  fatigue  and  anxiety 
she  had  undergone,  was  too  much  for  the 
poor  little  maid,  and  all  consciousness  forsook 
her. 

No  sooner  did  Mona's  eyes  close  than  at 
once  every  flower  and  shrub  and  tree  seemed 
alive  with  the  tiny  faces  of  elves.  Small  faces 
popped  out  of  the  flowers,  and  slender  forms 
came  sliding  down  from  the  tall  flower  stalks 
and  flowering  bushes.  Some  seized  the  deli 
cate  stems  of  the  blue  hare-bell  and  wild  lily 
of  the  valley,  and  rang  the  little  bells  violently. 
Others  blew  long  blasts  on  the  wild  honey 
suckle  and  columbine,  while  above  the  din 
shrill  voices  clamored  excitedly. 

From  every  direction  came  tiny  elves  crowd 
ing  and  pushing  and  stumbling  over  one  an 
other  in  their  eagerness  to  learn  the  cause  of 
this  sudden  summons. 

Suddenly  the  murmur  of  voices  ceased  as 
they  discovered  the  form  of  the  hunter's  little 
maid  lying  on  the  ground,  with  closed  eyes 
and  all  the  color  gone  out  of  her  face.  For  a 
few  minutes  all  were  silent,  then  Lippo,  the 


THE    ELVES    AND    GN<).MI->    TO    'HIE    KES<VE.    79 

elfin  king,  pointing  solemnly  to  the  little  form 
on  the  ground,  said  :  — 

"  Good  subjects  mine,  here  have  we  come 
On  nimble  feet,  from  leafy  home, 
A  gentle  deed  of  love  to  do 
For  this  fair  maid,  so  kind  and  true. 
Lured  forth  was  she  from  her  fond  home 
By  false  words  of  the  jealous  one. 
Whate'er  we  do  must  be  done  soon, 
The  night  is  short,  and  yon's  the  moon." 

As  the  king  ceased,  the  full,  round  moon 
slowly  appeared  above  the  tall  forest  trees,  and 
moved  majestically  higher  into  the  sky. 

Then  said  Pippi  the  Just,  the  wise  counsel 
lor  :— 

u  YYe  tiny  elves  cannot  by  ourselves  bear 
this  gentle  maid  up  the  steep  side  of  the  moun 
tain.  The  gnomes,  so  sturdy  of  limb  and  sure 
of  foot,  will  know  how  to  help  us.  Who  of  ye 
will  hie  to  King  Rondo  and  acquaint  him  with 
the  mishap  ?  " 

Almost  befoie  the  la>t  words  were  spoken, 
Beppo,  the  swift  of  foot,  was  half  way  up  the 
steep  mountain  side,  on  his  errand  to  King 
Rondo. 

Bounding  over  stones  and  bushes,  climbing 


8O          THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

nimbly  over  rocks,  the  swift-footed  Beppo  went 
on  his  way,  until  he  stood  before  the  wall  of 
rock  that  formed  the  entrance  to  King  Rondo's 
domains.  Upon  it,  picking  up  a  small  stone 
for  the  purpose,  he  loudly  knocked. 

No  answer  came,  and,  putting  his  ear  to  the 
rock,  the  elf  could  hear  the  click  of  hammers 
ringing  within,  and  the  voices  of  the  gnomes 
keeping  time  to  the  blows.  Again  and  again 
Beppo  repeated  his  knock,  each  time  more 
loudly,  until  at  last  the  heavy  door  swung  back, 
and  a  gnome  stood  before  him. 

"What  dost  thou  wish,  friend  Beppo?"  de 
manded  the  gnome. 

"  It  is  with  the  king  I  wish  to  speak," 
replied  Beppo,  "  on  most  important  business, 
and  I  beg  him  to  grant  me  an  interview  with 
out  delay." 

"Enter,"  replied  the  gnome,  "and  I  will 
acquaint  his  majesty  with  thy  message." 

The  elf  entered  the  cavern,  and  as  the 
rocky  door  rolled  back  into  place  Beppo 
became  sensible  of  a  most  savory  odor  pro 
ceeding  from  the  depths  of  the  cavern.  This 
the  elf  knew  was  a  favorable  sign,  for  it  was 
well  known  that  King  Rondo  was  fond  of 


THE    ELVES    AND    CXOMES    TO   THE    RESd  1 

good  cheer,  and  was  always  in  a  gracious 
mood  when  eating  his  favorite  viands. 

The  gnome  disappeared  within  the  king's 
apartments,  and  soon  reappeared,  saying :- 

"  His  majesty  bids  thee  enter  the  banquet 
hall,  as  thy  message  is  an  urgent  one.  He  is 


engaged  in  eating  his  favorite  repast  of  u  grubs 
on  toast,"  and  dislikes  to  leave  them,  as  when 
cold  they  are  tasteless  and  tough." 

"As    his    majesty  wills,"  answered    the    elf, 
following  the  gnome. 


82  THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF   THE    BLUE    HILL. 

The  door  of  the  banquet  hall  was  thrown 
open  as  they  approached,  and  the  sudden 
brilliancy  before  him  almost  blinded  the  little 
elf's  eyes.  The  walls,  hewn  from  solid  rock, 
glistened  with  crystals  and  mica  and  garnets 
that  reflected  the  light  from  myriads  of 
torches. 

At  a  table,  in  the  midst  of  this  splendor,  sat 
King  Rondo,  eating  from  a  smoking  dish  of 
"  grubs  on  toast,"  and  drinking  deep  draughts 
of  "  Mountain  Dew,"  collected  by  his  faithful 
subjects. 

A  goodly  king  was  "  Rondo  the  Round." 
Where  else  could  be  found  such  a  red-cheeked, 
jolly  sprite,  with  his  fat,  round  body  and  plump, 
short  limbs  ?  Just  to  gaze  on  him  was  enough 
to  make  one  happy,  and  to  see  him  with  his 
favorite  dish  before  him,  —  well,  words  can 
hardly  express  what  a  pleasant  sight  it  was. 

Looking  up,  the  king  caught  sight  of  his 
guest,  who  stood  modestly  in  the  doorway,  wait 
ing  for  permission  to  enter. 

The  king  spoke  thus  :  — 

"  Come  hither,  friend,  I  pray  thee  tell 
If  brother  Lippo  fares  him  well, 
And  if  there's  aught  that  we  can  do 
To  prove  to  him  our  friendship  true." 


THE    EIAT.S    AM)    r,\<>MES    TO   THE    RESCUE.    83 

Then  Beppo  stepped  into  the  banquet  hall, 
and  bowing  low  before  the  king,  made  an 
swer  :  — 

"  King  Lippo  is  well,  your  majesty,  and 
sends  greeting.  He  bade  me  bring  word  of  a 
misfortune  that  has  befallen  the  hunter's  little 
maid." 

Then  Beppo,  in  as  few  words  as  possible, 
related  the  tale  of  Mona's  mishap  through  the 
treachery  of  the  rover's  maid,  and  begged  the 
gnome  king  to  send  help  to  the  unfortunate 
child. 

"  Return  to  thy  king,"  said  Rondo  as  the  elf 
ended  his  tale,  "and  say  to  him  that  King 
Rondo  will  make  the  case  his  own.  What  ho 
there,  knaves !  "  he  cried  to  his  attendant  gnomes, 
"have  the  secret  underground  passages  well 
lighted  up,  that  the  little  maid  need  have  no 
fear." 

Beppo  waited  for  no  second  bidding,  but, 
saluting  the  king,  hastened  homeward.  Before 
he  left  the  cavern,  he  saw  that  it  was  one  blaze 
of  light.  Passages  led  in  every  direction  from 
the  lofty  cavern,  and  these  were  ablaze  with 
the  light  of  torches  and  glittering  ore. 


84 


THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

FAIRYLAND. 

Beppo  left  the  gnomes'  cavern  and  hastened 
to  carry  back  to  King  Lippo  the  news  that  the 
gnomes  would  come  to  the  rescue  of  the  hunt 
er's  little  maid.  As  soon  as  he  had  left  the 
cavern,  hundreds  of  gnomes  issued  forth  and 
came  trooping  down  the  hill.  Leaping  and 
running,  they  hurried  along  until  they  reached 
the  spot  where  Mona  lay. 

Silently  the  gnomes  crowded  around  the 
little  maid,  gazing  fondly  on  her  whom  they 
had  long  loved.  After  a  while  King  Rondo 
broke  the  silence  thus:  — 

"  Bestir  yourselves,  my  subjects  true, 
And  do  the  work  ye've  come  to  do." 


FAIRYLAND. 


85 


The   gnomes    hastened  to  obey  their  king, 
and  disappeared  into  the  woods,  singing:  — 

"  Gather,  gnomes,  with  toil  and  care, 
Boughs  of  hemlock  and  balsams  rare. 
Fragrant  branches  and  flowers  wild 
Deck  the  couch  of  the  hunter's  child. 
Gently  lift  her,  and  softly  bear 
Through  fairy  paths  the  maiden  fair." 

Almost   as   soon    as  the    last  words  of   the 


refrain  had  died  on  the  air,  the  gnomes  re 
appeared.  Some  dragged  after  them  large 
boughs,  and  sturdy  forms  bent  beneath  the 


86  THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF   THE    BLUE    HILL. 

fragrant  green  burdens  they  bore  on  their 
shoulders.  Throwing  to  the  ground  the 
boughs  they  had  collected,  the  gnomes  skil 
fully  fashioned  a  litter,  over  which  the  elves 
scattered  bright  and  fragrant  wild  flowers. 

When  the  task  was  completed,  the  gnomes, 
at  the  bidding  of  King  Rondo,  gently  lifted 
the  hunter's  little  maid  on  to  the  soft  litter, 
and  some  of  the  strongest  of  the  band  raised 
it  from  the  ground  and  carefully  bore  it  up 
the  hill,  followed  by  the  rest  of  the  troupe. 

Slowly  and  cautiously  went  the  little  gnomes 
up  the  rough  hillside,  until  they  reached  the 
rocky  wall  that  formed  the  entrance  to  their 
cave.  King  Rondp  gave  the  signal,  the  heavy 
door  rolled  back,  and  the  procession  entered 
the  cavern. 

"'Welcome,  welcome,  maiden  dear, 
Never  mortal  entered  here. 
Beloved  by  all  our  fairy  band, 
We  welcome  thee  to  Fairyland. 
But  ope  thy  eyes  and  gaze  around, 
And  see  how  fair  'tis  underground." 

At  these  words  the  maiden's  eyes  unclosed, 
and  she  gazed  about  her.  The  brilliant  light 
of  the  torches,  reflected  a  thousand-fold  by  the 


I  AIR\  LAND.  87 

crystals  and  shining  mica  and  precious  stones 
that  adorned  the  cavern,  at  first  dazzled  Mona's 
eyes,  and  she  started  from  her  couch.  Her 
next  glance  fell  on  the  friendly  faces  of  the 
gnomes,  and,  so  accustomed  was  she  to  think 
lovingly  of  the  fairy-folk,  that  Fairyland  had 
always  seemed  near  to  her,  and  she  was  not  at 
all  startled  to  find  herself  there.  The  wel 
coming  words  of  the  gnomes  would  have  re 
assured  her  if  she  had  been  at  all  apprehen 
sive,  and  she  sank  back  upon  her  soft 
couch,  soothed  by  loving  words  and  fragrant 
odors,  and  allowed  herself  to  be  gently  borne 
onward. 

Through  grottos  was  the  little  maid  borne, 
where  clear  streams  of  water  flowed  over  shin 
ing  white  sand,  and  in  which  brilliant  gold  and 
silver  fishes  sported.  Then  the  wondering 
child  passed  through  beautiful  gardens,  from 
whose  rocky  sides  grew  luxuriant  ferns,  while 
above  her  head  hung  spreading  vines  and  blos 
soming  boughs,  where  bright-plumaged  birds 
flitted  filling  the  air  with  sweet  melody. 

Sometimes  through  long  and  narrow  pas 
sages  was  the  little  maid  carried,  but  from 
every  nook  and  corner  kindly  faces  peeped  out, 


88          THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

and  unseen  hands  showered  on  her  as  she 
passed  handfuls  of  shining  stones  and  gor 
geously  tinted  flowers. 

At  length,  the  gnomes  bearing  the  couch 
paused  before  a  massive  wall,  and  as  it  gradu 
ally  rolled  back  Mona  perceived  the  starlit 
sky  above  her,  and  breathed  the  breath  of  the 
woods  she  knew  and  loved  so  well,  while  voices 
sang:  — 

"  Farewell,  farewell,  maiden  dear, 
Never,  never  more  we  fear 
Wilt  thou  enter  Fairyland. 
But  this  know,  —  all  of  cur  band 
Watch  o'er  thee  by  night  and  day, 
And  safely  guide  thy  steps  alway." 

As  the  words  of  the  song  died  away,  Mona 
found  herself  alone  before  her  father's  hut. 
Not  a  gnome  of  all  the  hundreds  who  had  sur 
rounded  her  was  to  be  seen,  and  the  thought 
came  to  her  that  she  had  been  dreaming ;  but 
her  eyes  fell  on  the  litter  upon  which  she  had 
been  borne  through  Fairyland,  and  in  her  lap 
lay  the  beautiful  flowers  and  brilliant  stones 
which  had  been  showered  upon  her.  Eager  to 
relate  to  her  mother  her  strange  adventures, 


FAIRYLAND. 


Mona  hastened  home,  to  be  greeted  with  the 
question  :  — 

"  My  dear,  where  hast  thou  been  so  long  ? 


Thy    father  has  been   hunting  the  woods  far 
and  wide.     What  has  happened  to  thee  ?  " 

"  I  have  been  to  Fairyland,  mother  dear,  and 
oh  !  it  was  so  beautiful !  " 


9O          THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

The  mother  gazed  at  her  little  daughter  in 
amazement,  fearing  her  mind  must  have  be 
come  unsettled. 

"/  thought  it  was  a  dream  at  first,"  replied 
Mona,  answering  her  mother's  anxious  look, 
ubut  it  was  not.  See,  mother  dear,  what  the 
kind  fairies  gave  me,"  and  she  poured  her  treas 
ures  into  her  mother's  lap. 

More  astonished  still  was  the  good  hunter's 
wife  as  she  saw  the  sparkling  stones  that  glit 
tered  in  the  moonlight,  and  perceived  the  de 
licious  fragrance  of  the  beautiful  flowers  that 
surely  could  have  grown  nowhere  but  in  Fairy 
land. 

"  Thou  must  tell  me  all  thou  hast  seen," 
said  the  amazed  mother. 

"  I  was  playing  in  my  little  garden,"  began 
Mona,  "and  Wassa  came  to  me  and  asked  me, 
oh!  so  pleasantly,  to  play  with  her  and  her 
brother  and  sisters.  She  has  always  been  so 
rude  to  me  that  it  made  me  very  happy  to 
see  her  so  good-natured,  and  I  went  with  her. 
We  played  and  we  played,  and  it  was  so  nice 
to  have  somebody  to  play  with,  mother  dear, 
that  I  didn't  think  how  far  away  from  home  I 
was  until  I  found  myself  at  the  foot  of  the  hill. 


FAIRYI.ANK  91 

"  So  far  from  home  ? "  asked  the  mother 
reproachfully. 

14  I  did  not  know,  I  was  so  busy  playing,  that 
we  had  gone  so  far,  but  since  we  were  there, 
it  did  seem  a  pity  not  to  go  up  the  hill.  Then 
what  dost  thou  think  Wassa  did  to  me?" 
asked  Mona,  glad,  like  many  another  child, 
to  have  some  one  to  share  the  blame  with. 
"  She  knocked  my  pretty  cap  off,  and  it  fell 
down  to  the  bottom  of  a  great  steep  hill,  and 
I  went  down  to  get  it,  but  I  couldn't  find  it 
and  Wassa  ran  off  and  left  me  and  then  I 
tumbled  down  the  hill." 

"  Why,  thou  hast  thy  cap  on  thy  head,"  said 
the  mother. 

"  Then  the  good  little  fairies  must  have 
found  it  for  me,"  replied  Mona.  "  Dust  thou 
not  think  it  very  wrong  for  Wassa  to  knock 
it  off?  I  will  pay  her  for  it  though.  She  has 
always  been  very  unkind  to  me." 

"  Dost  thou  think  that  the  way  to  make  her 
feel  kindly  to  thee  ?  I  think  thou  know'st  a 
much  better  way.  But  thou  hast  not  told  me 
about  thy  visit  to  Fairyland." 

Then  Mona  related  her  descent  down  the 
steep  hillside  to  recover  her  cap,  and  her  fall. 


Q2         THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

and  described  her  awakening  in  the  beauti 
ful  cavern  and  hearing  the  song  of  welcome 
sung  by  the  good-hearted  gnomes.  She  told 
her  astonished  mother  of  the  grottos  where 
the  gold  and  silver  fishes  sported,  and  of  the 
lovely  flowers  that  bloomed  all  about  her,  and 
of  the  unseen  hands  that  showered  the  spark 
ling  stones  and  bright  flowers  over  her.  She 
ended  her  tale  with  the  verse  sung  by  the 
fairies,  in  which  they  promised  to  watch  over 
her  and  protect  her  always. 

"  And  dost  thou  think,  my  little  maid,  that 
the  good  fairies  will  love  thee  so  well  if  thou 
hast  revengeful  thoughts  toward  Wassa  ? " 
asked  the  mother.  "  Thou  wilt  be  happier  if 
thou  cherishest  no  ill  will  toward  her.  Give 
her  some  of  thy  pretty  shining  stones  and  of 
these  beautiful  bright  flowers,  the  like  of  which 
never  grew  in  our  woods." 

It  was  a  hard  struggle  for  the  little  maid  to 
decide  to  do  as  her  mother  wished,  for  the 
recollection  of  many  an  unkind  word  rose  in 
her  memory ;  but  her  mother  had  always 
taught  Mona  to  conquer  all  unkind  thoughts 
before  she  went  to  sleep  at  night,  and  as  she 
lay  awake  on  her  bed  of  boughs  she  tried  to 
bring  her  mind  to  do  as  her  mother  advised. 


FAIRYLAND.  93 

The  soft  air,  laden  with  the  sweet  breath  of 
the  forest  trees,  came  in  through  the  open 
cabin  door,  and  seemed  to  whisper  soothing 
words;  the  full  moon  shone  mildly  down  on 
the  little  bed,  as  if  she  felt  a  mother's  care; 
the  crickets  chirped  cheerfully,  as  if  to  sing 
the  little  maid  to  sleep.  All  these  helped 
to  influence  the  child  who  so  loved  mother 
Nature.  The  struggle  that  was  going  on  in 
Mona's  mind  ceased,  the  scales  turned  in  the 
right  direction,  and  she  made  a  vow  to  do  as 
her  mother  wished. 

As  soon  as  her  decision  was  made,  Mona 
breathed  a  deep  sigh  of  relief,  the  restless 
ness  ceased,  and  sleep  closed  the  tired  eyelids. 

The  next  morning  Mona  slept  later  than 
usual,  and  the  sun  was  high  in  the  heavens 
when  she  awoke.  Starting  up  quickly,  she 
took  a  refreshing  bath  in  the  brook  that  ran 
by  the  hunter's  cabin,  and  then  ate  the  simple 
breakfast  her  mother  had  prepared  for  her. 
Afterwards,  selecting  some  of  the  finest  of 
her  pretty  stones  and  the  brightest  of  her 
flowers,  she  set  off  in  the  direction  of  the 
rover's  hut. 

Before    the    little    maid    had    gone   far,  she 


94          THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

descried  the  rover's  children  on  the  shore « of 
Willow  Pond,  amusing  themselves  by  throw 
ing  pebbles  into  the  water.  As  soon  as  they 
saw  Mona,  they  looked  at  each  other  in  amaze 
ment,  for  on  her  head  was  the  pretty  cap  that 
they  thought  would  lie  forever  at  the  foot 
of  the  precipice.  So  embarrassed  was  Wassa 
that  she  did  not  know  what  to  say,  and  stam 
mered  confusedly:  — 

"  So  thou  didst  find  thy  cap  after  all  ?  How 
didst  thou  find  thy  way  back  ?  " 

"  The  kind  fairies  brought  me  back,"  an 
swered  Mona  smilingly. 

"  Dost  thou  think  thou  canst  make  me 
believe  that?"  asked  Wassa. 

"  Look  here ! "  cried  Mona,  giving  Wassa 
the  pretty  stones  and  flowers.  "  Wilt  thou 
not  believe  it  now?  The  good,  kind  fairies 
gave  me  these." 

Wassa  gazed  in  amazement  at  the  gifts 
Mona  thrust  into  her  hands,  for  she  knew 
well  the  woods  about  did  not  produce  such 
flowers,  but  she  did  not  like  to  acknowledge 
that  she  had  been  mistaken,  and  that,  after 
all,  there  were  such  beings  as  fairies.  When, 
however,  she  heard  the  strange  adventures  of 


FAIRY  LANK  95 

the  hunter's  little  maid,  and  listened  to  her 
description  of  the  beautiful  things  she  had 
seen,  Wassa's  mind  began  to  waver.  A  long 
ing  seized  her  to  see  for  herself  the  wonders 
of  Fairyland,  and  bring  away  some  of  the 
treasures  it  contained.  In  vain  did  she  ques 
tion  Mona  about  the  path  that  led  to  the 
entrance  of  Fairyland;  but  the  hunter's  little 
maid  could  only  reply  that  she  knew  nothing 
of  the  path, —  that  her  first  glimpse  of  Fairy 
land  was  the  brilliantly  lighted  cave. 

"  I  know  thou  canst  tell  me  if  thou  wilt," 
said  Wassa,  "but  I  will  hunt  until  I  find  it. 
Be  sure  I  will  discover  the  path." 

Day  after  day  Wassa  spent  in  roaming  over 
the  hill  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  spot  where 
Mona's  cap  had  fallen,  and  day  after  day  she 
returned  home  without  having  gained  any 
information. 

One  day  Wassa's  attention  was  attracted  by 
a  beautiful  blue  dragon-fly  that  hovered  over 
her  head  as  if  it  would  alight.  Sometimes  it 
came  so  near  that  the  little  maid's  quick  hand 
almost  closed  over  the  fragile  creature,  but  it 
always  escaped  just  as  it  seemed  within  her 
grasp. 


96    THE  FAIRV-FOLK  OF  THE  BLUE  HILL. 

This  blue  dragon-fly  was  no  other  than  the 
haughty  queen  whom  the  little  brown  beetle  so 
much  admired. 

The  dragon-fly  was  so  persistent  in  keeping 
out  of  Wassa's  reach,  that  the  little  maid 
determined  to  have  it  at  any  cost,  and  followed 
it  farther  and  farther  up  the  hill. 

At  last,  quite  out  of  breath,  and  heated, 
Wassa  sank  upon  a  mossy  bank  to  rest.  Tired 
from  her  fruitless  chase  of  the  blue  dragon-fly, 
the  little  maid's  eyes  closed,  and  she  was  on 
the  point  of  falling  asleep,  when  a  tiny  voice, 
that  she  at  first  supposed  to  proceed  from  a 
locust  or  some  other  singing  insect,  attracted 
her  attention,  and  as  she  listened  she  heard 
these  words  :  —  -  • 

"  What  thou  seek'st,  we  fairies  know. 
'    Farther  up  the  hill  then  go, 

Till  near  the  top  a  maple  tree, 

Tall  and  straight  as  it  can  be, 

Stands  before  a  lofty  rock, 

Where  thou  loud  and  long  must  knock." 

> 

Wassa  looked  quickly  in  the  direction  of  the 
voice,  but  nothing  was  to  be  seen  but  a  large 
"  Jack-in-the-pulpit,"  in  which  a  large  brown 


1\IK\  LAND. 


97 


beetle  was  quietly  seated.  The  little  maid  did 
not  see  what  the  brown  beetle  saw, —  the  tiny 
elfin  face  hidden  deep  in  the  flower,  and  who 
had  spoken  the  words  that  had  startled  her. 

Although  \Yassa  could  not  discover  the 
being  who  had  spoken  the  words  she  wanted  to 
hear,  she  resolved  to  follow  the  directions,  and 
at  once  continued  her  way  up  the  hill,  the  blue 
dragon-fly  flitting  before,  sometimes  disappear 
ing,  and  again  returning  to  circle  about  her 
head. 

In  this  manner  the  summit  of  the  hill  was 
reached,  and  Wassa,  tired  from  her  rapid 
journey,  and  excited  at  the  bold  step  she  was 
to  take,  sat  down  to  rest  and  look  about  her. 
Never  before  had  she  been  to  the  very  top  of 
the  hill,  and  she  gazed  in  bewilderment  at  the 
great  world  before  her. 

Miles  of  woodland  stretched  away  to  the 
beautiful  blue  ocean,  with  innumerable  ponds 
and  streams  between,  while  far  away  in  the 
distance  rose  the  dim  peaks  of  high  mountains. 
From  this  scene  Wassa's  gaze  came  back  to 
objects  near  at  hand,  —  sturdy  fir  trees  and 
lofty  pines.  Then  her  eyes  fell  on  a  tall, 
straight  maple  tree  that  stood  in  front  of  her. 


98         THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

Behind  it  rose  a  massive  wall  of  rock,  and,  as 
Wassa  recognized  it,  the  same  voice  she  had 
heard  before  again  repeated  the  lines :  — 

"  What  thou  seek'st,  we  fairies  know. 
Farther  up  the  hill  then  go, 
Till  near  the  top  a  maple  tree, 
Tall  and  straight  as  it  can  be, 
Stands  before  a  lofty  rock, 
Where  thou  loud  and  long  must  knock." 

As  the  voice  ceased,  Wassa  rose,  and  gather 
ing  all  her  courage,  approached  the  rock  and 
knocked  timidly  upon  it. 


WASSA    COES    TO    FAIR VI. AND.  99 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

WASSA    GOES    TO    FAIRYLAND. 

As  the  huge  door  of  rock  rolled  back,  Wassa 
was  prepared  to  see  the  brilliantly  lighted  cave 
described  by  Mona  ;  but,  to  her  surprise,  in 
stead  of  finding  her  eyes  dazzled  by  a  flood  of 
light,  she  looked  upon  a  dimly-lighted  cavern, 
in  which  her  eyes,  accustomed  to  the  bright 
sunlight,  could  hardly  see.  A  voice  close  be 
side  her  spoke  these  words  :  — 

"  If  land  of  fairies  thou  wouldst  seek, 
With  whom  is  it  thou  wouldst  speak?" 

"Is  this  dark  place  Fairyland  ?  "  asked 
Wassa.  "  I  thought  it  was  bright  and  full  of 
sparkling  stones  and  flowers." 

"  All  things  in  Fairyland,  thou'lt  find, 
Reflect  the  colors  of  the  mind," 

replied  the  voice  that  had  spoken  before,  and 
now,  for  the   first  time,  Wassa  beheld  a  little 


IOO       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

man  with  a  comical  peaked  cap  and  a  long 
beard  standing  before  her. 

"  Pray  step  within  and  look  around. 
What  each  deserves,  that  will  be  found," 

said  the  gnome,  with  a  mischievous  twinkle  of 
the  eyes. 

Wassa  stepped  over  the  threshold,  and  the 
heavy  door  of  rock  rolled  back  into  place. 

"  This  must  be  but  the  entrance  to  the 
beautiful  light  cave  Mona  spoke  of,"  thought 
Wassa  as  she  stumbled  over  a  stone  that  in 
the  dim  light  she  had  not  seen. 

"I  want  some  of  the  shining  stones  and 
pretty  flowers  thou  gav'st  to  Mona,"  said 
Wassa,  and  take  me  to  the  same  beautiful 
places  to  which  thou  hast  taken  her." 

The  gnome  replied  :  — 

"  First  ask  permission  of  our  king; 
Without  that  thou  canst  do  no  thing." 

"  Then  take  me  quickly  to  him,"  said  Wassa, 
"  for  I  don't  want  to  stay  any  longer  in  this 
poky  old  place." 

"  Look  where  thou  step  and  follow  me, 
And  soon  King  Rondo  thou  shalt  see," 

said  the  gnome. 


\\.\ss\   GOES   TO    i  MIDLAND.  ioi 

Wassa  did  as  she  was  bidden,  but  in  the 
darkness  she  made  many  a  false  step,  and 
several  times  she  fell  down  ;  but  the  gnome  did 
not  look  behind  him,  and  Wassa  was  on  her 
feet  again  in  a  twinkling.  At  last,  after  grop 
ing  about  in  the  darkness  for  some  time,  the 
gnome  stopped  before  another  rocky  door,  and 
at  a  signal  from  him  the  door  opened,  and  a 
blaze  of  light  greeted  Wassa.  So  brilliant  was 
it  that  the  sudden  change  from  the  dim  light 
from  which  she  had  just  emerged  caused  a  sharp 
pain  in  her  eyes.  Before  long,  however,  she 
became  accustomed  to  the  bright  light,  and 
looked  about  her. 

A  little  fat,  jolly-looking  gnome,  with  a  gold 
crown  on  his  head,  sat  at  a  table,  eating  with 
great  enjoyment  from  a  steaming  dish  that 
was  before  him. 

"  Ah  !  "  said  the  king,  "  whom  have  we  here? 
And  what  may  be  thy  wish,  my  dear?  " 

King  Rondo  looked  so  extremely  good- 
natured  and  plump  and  rosy  that  Wassa  was 
not  at  all  awed  by  his  gold  crown,  and  she 
answered  readily :  — 

"  I    came    to  see    the    beautiful    things  that 


102       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

Ivtona,  the  hunter's  maid,  told  me  about,  and  to 
take  home  with  me  some  of  those  shining 
stones  and  pretty  flowers." 


"  Where  Mona  went,  thou  too  shalt  go ; 
The  self-same  paths  to  thee  we'll  show," 

answered  the  king  as  plainly  as  he  could  con- 


\\.\SSA    <;<>KS    TO    I- A I  KM. AND.  1 03 

sidering  the  large  mouthful  of  u  grubs  on 
toast  "  that  he  was  eating.  Then,  raising  his 
voice,  he  called  out :  — 

"  \Vill-o'-the-wisp,  we  bid  thee  bear 
Through  all  our  paths  this  maiden  fair. 
And,  maiden,  this  fact  know  thou  well, 
O'er  all  things  here  is  fairy  spell, 
And  everything  reflects,  thou'lt  see, 
The  good  or  bad  that  dwells  in  thee. 
Then  take  with  thee  what  thou  lik'st  most, 
While  I  return  to  grubs  on  toast." 

Thus  saying,  the  king  resumed  his  repast 
with  great  relish,  and  Wassa  looked  about  her 
for  the  guide  whom  the  king  had  ordered  to 
attend  her.  Lightly  bounding  toward  her, 
and  swinging  his  lantern  gayly,  came  a  Will-o'- 
the-wisp  whom  Wassa  had  often  seen  floating 
over  the  meadows,  and  whom  she  had  vainly 
tried  to  overtake. 

"  Come  on,  come  on,  no  time  to  waste, 
So  follow  me  as  best  thou  mayst," 

called  out  the  wasp,  as  he  darted  into  one  of 
the  passages  that  led  from  the  king's  banquet 
hall. 

"  First   of  all,"   said  Wassa,  "  show  me  the 


IO4      THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 


grotto  where  the  gold  and  silver  fishes  are ;  and 
thou  must  not  go  so  fast,  for  thy  lantern  gives 
but  little  light." 

The  Will-o'-the-wisp  darted  down  a  narrow 
passageway,  followed  by  Wassa,  who  found  it 
difficult  to  keep  closely  to  him,  on  account 

of  the  uneven  ground. 
Soon,  entering  a  large 
cave,  the  wisp  sudden 
ly  stopped  and  swung 
his  lantern  over  a  dark 
pool.  The  little  maid 
bent  forward  and  gazed 
eagerly  into  the  turbid 
water,  but  started  back 
with  an  expression  of 
disgust  as  she  descried 
the  ugly  forms  of  rep 
tiles  wiggling  through 
the  dark  stream. 

"  I  want  to  see  the 
pretty  gold  and  silver  fishes,  not  these  horrid 
creatures,"  exclaimed  Wassa  angrily.  "  Take 
me  to  them  directly." 

"All  things  in  Fairyland,  thou'lt  find, 
Reflect  the  colors  of  the  mind," 


WASSA    GOK^    TO    FAIkN  LAND.  105 

repeated  the  same  voice  Wassa  had  heard  on 
her  entrance. 

"  Where  are  the  bright  stones  and  flowers 
the  fairies  gave  to  Mona?"  asked  Wassa. 
"  The  king  said  I  should  take  with  me  what  I 
liked  most,  and  I  want  those  most." 

"Come,"  said  the  wisp,  "and  thou  wilt  find 
The  things  that  most  do  suit  thy  mind." 

And  the  wisp,  swinging  his  lantern  about  his 
head,  darted  into  another  dark  and  narrow 
passageway. 

"  Where  are  the  fairies  who  threw  the  pretty 
stones  and  flowers  to  Mona  ?  "  asked  Wassa. 

"  Look,  maiden  fair,  and  thou  shalt  see 
How  fairies  shower  their  gifts  on  thee," 

was  heard  from  the  same  voice  that  had  spoken 
before. 

At  these  words  Wassa  felt  a  shower  of 
stones  falling  over  her  shoulders,  and  glancing 
up,  she  shuddered  as  she  beheld  a  grotesque 
face  peering  down  at  her.  She  clutched  a 
handful  of  the  stones,  however,  for  even  in 
that  dim  light  they  sparkled  brilliantly. 

"  The   grove  with  the  beautiful    plants  and 


IO6      THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF   THE    BLUE    HILL. 

singing  birds,  —  thou  must  take  me  there," 
said  Wassa. 

"Come,"  said  the  wisp,  "and  thou  wilt  find 
The  things  that  most  do  suit  thy  mind," 

and  he  bounded  on,  until  he  paused,  and, 
holding  his  lantern  aloft,  its  rays  fell  on  the 
sides  of  a  grotto  where  beautiful  trailing  plants 


were  seen  hanging,  and  waving  palms  brushed 
their  large,  broad  leaves  against  Wassa's 
cheeks. 

"This,"  said  Wassa  to  herself,  "  does  really 
seem  like  the  grotto  where  the  beautiful  birds 
sang  such  sweet  songs,  but  where  are  the 
birds  ?  " 

At  that  moment  a  harsh,  discordant  note 
startled  the  child,  and  a  large  bird  with  a 


\VASSA  <;oi-:s  TO  FAIRYLAND.  107 

hideous  face  and  long  bill  flew  close  to  her, 
then  another,  and  still  another,  until  the  grotto 
resounded  with  their  harsh  notes. 

"  What  can  this  mean  ?  "  thought  Wassa. 
"Mona  has  purposely  deceived  me,  but  she 
shall  answer  for  it  to  me." 

Eager  to  escape  from  the  noisy  birds,  Wassa 
begged  the  wisp  to  take  her  away,  and  she  felt 
greatly  relieved  when  she  found  herself  safely 
out  of  the  grotto.  Through  long  and  tedious 
passages  they  went,  where  hideously  grinning 
faces  appeared  at  every  turn,  and  sometimes 
flowers  and  bright  stones  were  showered  upon 
her.  Of  these  she  secured  as  many  as  she 
could. 

Wassa  was  very  tired  of  Fairyland,  and  she 
began  to  doubt  if  she  really  were  in  that  place. 
She  suspected  that  the  whole  adventure  might 
be  an  unpleasant  dream,  and  she  implored  the 
Will-o'-the-wisp  to  conduct  her  to  the  open  air. 

"  \Vouldst  give  to  her  of  good  things  aught, 
Who,  goaded  on  by  jealous  thought, 
From  her  home  her  friend  entices 
By  her  false  words  and  false  devices?  " 

asked  the  voice  she  had  heard  before. 


IOcS      THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

Still  the  wisp  bounded  gayly  on,  swinging  his 
little  lantern  as  merrily  as  before,  and  Wassa 
had  no  choice  but  to  follow.  The  mischievous 
sprite  always  managed  to  keep  his  light  from 
shining  on  the  stones  that  lay  in  the  path,  and 
many  a  tumble  the  poor  little  maid  had.  Some 
times  she  splashed  through  a  stream  that  she 
had  not  seen  in  the  darkness,  and  at  every  mis 
hap  the  shrill,  mischievous  laughter  of  unseen 
gnomes  greeted  her  ears  and  made  her  mis 
fortune  all  the  harder  to  bear. 

At  last  the  wisp  came  to  a  standstill,  and 
threw  the  light  from  his  lantern  upon  a  rocky 
wall  that  rose  high  above  them.  As  it  rolled 
slowly  back  on  its  hinges,  the  well-known  voice 
chanted  :  — 

"  Adieu,  adieu,  we'll  see  thee  yet, 
Before  another  sun  has  set. 
And  here  thou'lt  stay  till  thou  shalt  be 
Cured  of  the  sin  of  jealousy." 

Wassa  did  not  trouble  herself  -to  discover 
the  meaning  of  these  ominous  words,  for  there 
was  the  blue  sky  above  her  and  the  sunlight 
about  her,  and  with  a  shout  of  joy  she  bounded 
through  the  open  door  and  found  herself  at  the 


\VASSA    GOES    To    FAIRY1AM*.  109 

foot  of  Blue  Hill.  Then  she  knew  that  she 
must  have  gone  through  the  hill  by  under 
ground  passages. 

Vainly  did  Wassa  try  to  discover  the  door 
through  which  she  had  made  her  exit  from 
Fairyland,  and  after  a  fruitless  search  she 
turned  her  steps  homeward.  Soon  she  be 
thought  herself  of  the  stones  and  flowers  she 
had  brought  away  with  her,  but  imagine  her 
disappointment  and  surprise  at  finding  the 
stones  merely  dull  pebbles,  and  the  flowers 
withered  and  odorless. 

"  This  is  thy  fault,  Mona,  and  thou  shalt  pay 
for  it,"  said  Wassa  aloud.  "  Thou  hast  deceived 
me  very  meanly; "  and  she  set  her  mind  at  work 
to  discover  the  best  means  of  revenge. 

Wassa  had  thought  herself  alone,  but  her 
vow  of  vengeance  had  been  heard  by  the  blue 
dragon-fly  and  the  brown  beetle,  and  as  soon  as 
she  was  out  of  sight,  the  dragon-fly  gave  vent 
to  her  indignation. 

"Pay  for  it,"  she  echoed;  "well  see  about 
that,  my  little  maid  !  " 

The  brown  beetle  watched  the  blue  dragon 
fly  as  she  flew  wildly  round  muttering  angri 
ly  to  herself.  The  gnats  kept  at  a  safe  dis- 


I  IO      THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

tance,  for  they  knew  well  the  temper  of  their 
queen. 

"Well!  what  dost  thou  think  about  it? 
Hast  thou  no  opinion  on  the  subject  ?  "  asked 
the  blue  dragon-fly  snappishly,  suddenly  ad 
dressing  the  brown  beetle. 

"Dear  me  !  "  replied  the  brown  beetle,  quite 
flustered  at  the  suddenness  of  the  remark, 
"I  hardly  know  what  to  think.  It  serves  her 
rightly,  doesn't  it?  " 

"Serves  her  rightly?  "  echoed  the  blue  drag 
on-fly  angrily  ; "  what  on  earth  dost  thou  mean?" 

"  For  being  so  envious,  thou  know'st,"  re 
plied  the  brown  beetle  humbly. 

"  Good  gracious  !  "  cried  the  blue  dragon-fly, 
"if  he  doesn't  think  I  was  referring  to  that 
disagreeable  girl  going  through  Rondo's  do 
main's  !  Of  course  it  served  her  rightly  | 
What  I  meant  is,  what  dost  thou  think  of 
Wassa's  vow  to  revenge  herself  on  the  hunter's 
little  maid  for  what  she  imagines  she  did  ?  " 

"Oh  !  "  replied  the  beetle,  "  that  is  it,  is  it  ? 
Well,  it  would  be  a  pity,  would  it  not  ?  " 

"  I  should  say  so  indeed  !  "  replied  the  blue 
dragon-fly.  "  Hast  thou  nothing  farther  to 
say  ?  Canst  thou  look  on  and  see  some  mis- 


WASSA    CUES    TO    FAIKYLANI).  I  1  I 

chievous  trick  played  upon  the  innocent  Mona, 
and  not  prevent  it  ?  " 

4k  But  how  can  I  prevent  it  ? "  asked  the 
brown  beetle  mildly. 

k>7  can  and  will,"  replied  the  blue  dragon 
fly  with  energy.  "A  splendid  idea  has  just 
this  moment  occurred  to  me." 

The  brown  beetle  dared  not  ask  what  the 
new  idea  was,  and  the  blue  dragon-fly  didn't 
see  fit  to  tell  him,  but  she  continued  :- 

"  Those  tiresome  gnomes  have  some  plan  in 
their  heads  that  concerns  Wassa,  but  what  it  is 
nobody  knows  except  themselves,  unless  it  is 
the  elves,  and  they  will  not  tell.  However,  I 
intend  to  take  the  matter  into  my  own  hands. 
Dost  thou  happen  to  know  where  William  of 
the  wisp  is  ?  " 

"  Thou  know'st  he  never  comes  out  except 
at  night,"  replied  the  brown  beetle.  "He  is 
probably  sleeping  now." 

"  I  know  he  is  the  most  careless  fellow  in  the 
world.  He  sleeps  through  the  beautiful  bright 
clay,  and  comes  out  at  night  when  he  has  to 
carry  a  lantern  to  see  his  way." 

"Thou  wilt  see  him  as  soon  as  it  grows 
dark,"  said  the  beetle.  "  Every  night  I  see  him 


I  I  2       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

dancing  about  over  the  meadows.  I  know  him 
by  the  little  lantern  he  carries.  Hast  thou  not 
seen  him  ?  " 

"  How  can  I  see  him  when  I  never  go  out 
at  night  ?  "  replied  the  blue  dragon-fly  in  an 
irritable  tone. 

"  I  shall  be  glad  to  take  thy  message  to  him," 
replied  the  brown  beetle  politely. 

"  Thou  !  "  exclaimed  the  dragon-fly  rudely. 
"  Thou  wilt  be  sure  to  get  things  muddled  in 
thy  dull  brain." 

"  Then  I  can  send  him  to  thee,  and  thou 
canst  talk  to  him  thyself,"  answered  the  brown 
beetle  mildly. 

"  Thank  thee,"  said  the  blue  dragon-fly,  her 
ill  humor  disappearing  before  the  brown  beetle's 
good  nature,  "  thou  art  very  kind.  Tell  him 
he  will  find  me  in  the  usual  place  by  the  yellow 
lily  that  grows  just  under  the  large  maple  in 
the  meadow  below." 

The  brown  beetle  promised  to  give  the 
message  correctly  to  the  Will-o'-the-wisp,  and 
away  flew  the  giddy  dragon-fly  to  sport  in  the 
bright  sunlight,  her  attendants,  as  usual,  fol 
lowing  at  a  respectful  distance. 

When  night  came,  the  brown  beetle,  true  to 


WASSA    GOES    To    r.\iKvi.,\M).  i  13 

his  promise,  cast  his  honest  little  eyes  about  in 
search  of  the  Will-o'-the-wisp,  and' before  Ion- 
espied  him  dancing  over  the  meadows,  lighting 
uj)  with  his  lantern  the  dark  places  over  which 
he  passed.  It  was  not  an  easy  task  for  the 
brown  beetle  with  his  slow  gait  to  arrest  the 
attention  of  the  roving  wisp,  but  at  last  he 
succeeded  in  doing  so,  and  gave  him  the  blue 
dragon-fly's  message. 

"•To  the  fair  queen  at  once  I'll  speed, 
And  see  of  what  she  is  in  need," 

replied  the  wisp,  darting  away  in  the  direction 
indicated  by  the  brown  beetle. 


114      THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 


CHAPTER   IX. 


THE  BR°WN  BEETLE 
UNDERTAKES  A 


The  brown  beetle  followed  the  Will-o'-the- 
wisp  as  fast  as  he  could,  sometimes  flying  and 
sometimes  crawling ;  but  his  body  was  heavy 
and  his  wings  were  short,  and  the  light  wisp 
was  soon  out  of  sight.  The  beetle,  however, 
persevered,  and  after  a  laborious  journey,  suc 
ceeded  in  reaching  the  large  maple  tree  in  the 
meadow,  just  in  time  to  hear  the  closing  words 
of  the  interview. 

As  the  brown  beetle  stopped  in  front  of  the 
maple  tree,  the  blue  dragon-fly,  poised  on  the 
edge  of  the  yellow  lily  in  which  she  made  her 
home,  was  saying  to  the  Will-o'-the-wisp  :  — 


THE  BROWN   UEKII.K  I  XDKK TAKKS   A   MISSION.     I  15 

"  The  softest  part  of  the  cranberry  bog, 
remember,  where  the  water  is  deepest.  Lead 
her  well  in." 

The  wisp,  as  he  floated  away,  answered :  — 

"  Where  the  meadow's  soft  and  wet, 
She'll  be  ere  morrow's  sun  has  set." 

"  Who'll  be  ?  "  asked  the  brown  beetle  to 
himself.  u  Some  mischief  is  planned,  and  it  is 
evident  they  do  not  wish  me  to  know  \vhat  it 
is.  I  will  stay  in  the  meadow  all  day  to-morro\v, 
and  find  out  what  is  going  on.  I  hope  they 
are  not  planning  to  injure  the  hunter's  maid  ! 
No,  certainly  it  cannot  be  she,  for  every  one 
loves  her.  Now  I  remember  that  the  blue 
dragon-fly  was  very  indignant  with  the  rover's. 
maid,  Wassa,  but  it  would  be  too  bad  to  play  a 
mean  trick  upon  her,  if  she  is  unkind  to  Mona 
without  reason.  If  she  is  envious  of  her, — 
and  she  certainly  is,  —  the  unkind  thoughts  in 
her  breast  will  cause  her  more  trouble  than  she 
can  cause  Mona.  Yes,  I  will  be  on  the  watch, 
and  see  if  I  can  prevent  the  mischief." 

The  blue  dragon-fly  did  not  see  the  brown 
beetle,  and  as  soon  as  the  wisp  had  departed, 
she  settled  herself  for  a  good  long  nap,  so  the 


Il6      THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

brown  beetle  retreated  as  noiselessly  as  he  had 
approached,  and  was  soon  fast  asleep,  himself, 
under  a  fine  large  oak  leaf. 

The  day  after  her  visit  to  Fairyland  found 
Wassa  in  a  very  uncomfortable  state  of  mind. 
Taking  her  brother  and  sisters  into  a  secluded 
spot  in  the  woods,  she  narrated  her  adventures 
of  the  day  before,  and  expressed  her  opinion 
that  Mona  had  purposely  deceived  her  in  de 
scribing  the  beauties  of  Fairyland. 

"  But  her  stones  were  bright,  and  her  flowers 
as  fresh  as  if  they  had  just  been  plucked;  and 
thy  stones  were  dingy,  and  thy  flowers  withered," 
remarked  the  little  lad. 

This  had  the  effect  of  making  Wassa  still  more 
angry  with  Mona  for  having  fared  so  much 
better  than  she  had,  and,  like  all  envious  dispo 
sitions,  instead  of  venting  her  anger  on  those 
who  were  the  cause  of  her  disappointment,  she 
made  innocent  Mona  the  one  responsible  for 
all  her  troubles. 

"I  know  what  I'll  do,"  said  Wassa  after  a 
pause.  "  I  will  entice  her  down  into  the  mead 
ows  where  the  cranberries  grow.  I  will  tell 
her  they  are  ripe,  and  she  will  get  into  the  soft 
mud,  and  will  have  to  stay  there  all  night." 


THE  BROWN  BEETLE  UNDERTAKES  A   MISM»N.     I  I  J 

"That  will  be  just  right  for  her,"  replied  the 
brother;  ulet  us  go  now  and  find  her." 

"  No,"  said  Wassa,  "it  is  too  early  in  the  day. 
Her  father  or  mother  would  be  sure  to  find  her 
before  night,  and  I  intend  to  have  her  stay 
there  in  the  dark  and  be  well  frightened." 

Thus  did  Wassa's  envious  mind  tempt  her 
to  plan  a  second  mishap  for  Mona,  and,  as  is 
always  the  case,  the  second  piece  of  mischief 
was  worse  than  the  first. 

u  Oh !  dost  thou  see  that  beautiful  blue 
dragon-fly,  Wassa?"  cried  the  little  sisters. 
"  Do  try  to  catch  it  for  us." 

"  I  believe  it  is  the  very  same  one  I  followed 
so  far  yesterday,"  replied  Wassa.  "  It  is  of  no 
use  to  try  to  catch  it;"  and,  as  she  spoke,  the 
blue  dragon-fly  soared  high  into  the  air,  and 
flew  rapidly  away. 

It  was  indeed  the  same  dragon-fly  that  had 
enticed  Wassa  up  Blue  Hill  the  day  before, 
and  the  dragon-fly  had  now  followed  the  chil 
dren  and  heard  every  word  of  Wassa's  naughty 
plot. 

44  Now  that  I  have  everything  arranged  for 
carrying  out  my  plan,"  said  the  blue  dragon-fly 
to  herself  as  she  flew  aloncr,  "  I  need  have  no 


IlS      THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

further  uneasiness.  Will  knows  his  rule,  and 
loves  mischief  enough  to  do  it  well.  I  wish  to 
bathe,"  said  the  haughty  queen,  signalling  to 
her  attendants.  "  Find  me  a  bath." 

The  willing  maids  in  waiting  at  once  con 
ducted  their  queen  to  a  small  pool  near  by. 
The  sun  shone  brightly  down  upon  it,  and  lily 
pads  floated  on  its  clear  surface,  as  if  designed 
for  resting  places  for  just  such  airy  creatures 
as  the  light  dragon-fly.  On  the  edge  of  the 
pool  grew  delicate  water  plants,  and  beyond 
them,  on  the  moist  banks,  the  scarlet  cardinal 
flowers  and  fleur-de-lis,  and  as  a  background 
for  all  rose  the  tall  forest  trees. 

"  Gracious  queen,  \ve  chose  this  secluded 
spot  for  your  majesty's  noonday  bath,"  said  the 
first  lady  in  waiting  in  a  respectful  tone. 

The  haughty  queen  made  no  reply,  but 
lightly  skimmed  over  the  pool,  dipping  the 
ends  of  her  gauzy  wings  into  the  clear  water, 
and  shaking  the  shining  drops  over  her.  When 
tired  of  exercise,  she  rested  for  a  moment  on 
one  of  the  lily  pads,  and  then  resumed  her  sport. 

When  the  bath  was  completed,  the  dragon 
fly  summoned  her  gnats,  who  had  been  patiently 
waiting  in  the  hot  sun, 


THE  BROWN  BEETLE  UNDERTAKES  A  MISSION.    I  19 

"Attend  to  my  toilet,"  commanded  the  im 
perious  queen. 

At  this  began  the  work  of  beautifying  the 
lovely  queen.  They  carefully  unfolded  the 
gauzy  wings,  that  had  become  wet  in  the  bath, 
and  spread  them  to  their  fullest  expanse,  that 
they  might  dry  evenly  in  the  hot  sun  ;  but  to 
the  first  lady  in  waiting  was  given  the  care  of 
the  delicate  face.  Daintily  must  she  dry  the 
large  and  expressive  eyes,  of  which  the  queen 
was  so  proud ;  and  she  alone  knew  how  to 
powder  the  royal  countenance  with  the  pollen 
of  the  faire>t  flowers. 

In  due  time  the  queen's  toilet  was  completed 
and  her  majesty  pronounced  faultlessly  adorned. 
Flying  over  the  clearest  part  of  the  pool,  she 
glanced  down  at  the  image  reflected  there,  and 
surely  the  most  exacting  mistress  could  not 
have  failed  to  be  satisfied  with  the  work  of 
her  handmaidens.  Never  were  dragon-fly's 
wings  gauzier  or  smoother.  The  beautiful 
blue  of  her  slender  body  actually  glistened  in 
the  sunshine,  and  the  fragrant  powder  imparted 
a  bloom  to  her  expressive  countenance. 

Giving  a  little  nod  of  approval  as  reward  to 
her  patient  attendants,  away  flew  the  haughty 


I2O      THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

queen  to  disport  herself  in  the  warm  sunshine, 
followed  by  her  ladies  in  waiting,  who  held 
themselves  in  readiness  to  be  summoned  at  any 
moment. 

All  day  long  Wassa  was  in  a  state  of  uneasi 
ness.  She  watched  from  a  distance  the  form 
of  the  hunter's  little  maid  as  the  bright  cap 
and  neat  dress  of  skins  flitted  among  the  trees, 
or  attended  to  the  flowers  in  the  little  garden. 
Not  until  the  sun  was  down  did  Wassa  attempt 
to  carry  out  her  plan;  but  when  twilight  with 
its  soft  shadows  appeared,  she  set  out  in  the 
direction  of  the  hunter's  cabin. 

Before  Wassa  had  taken  many  steps,  how 
ever,  there  sprang  from  behind  a  tall  clump  of 
bushes  the  Will-o'-the-wisp,  swinging  his  little 
lantern,  and  singing  gayly:  — 

"  Follow,  follow  where  I  go, 
Whoever  would  my  secret  know." 

At  sight  of  the  mischievous  sprite  who  had 
led  her  through  the  dark  and  unpleasant  paths 
in  Fairyland,  Wassa  at  once  forgot  the  object 
she  had  in  view.  The  annoying  experience  of 
the  day  before  rose  vividly  before  her  mind, 
and  she  resolved  to  overtake  and  punish  the 


THE  r.KOWN   BEETLE  I'NDKK  I  A  KKS   A    MISSION.    121 

mischievous  imp  who  had  caused  her  so  many 
falls  and  bruises. 

"Til  follow  thee,  be  sure  of  that,"  cried 
Wassa  angrily,  "and  what  is  more,  I'll  overtake 
thee  too.  In  the  dark  passages  of  Fairyland 
thou  hadst  it  all  thy  own  way,  but  here,  in  the 
woods,  I  know  every  step  of  the  way,  and  if  I 
cannot  overtake  thee,  mite  that  thou  art,  it 
would  be  a  pity." 

A  mocking  laugh  from  the  wisp  was  the 
only  reply,  and  at  that  the  chase  began  in 
earnest.  Away  went  the  wisp,  followed  closely 
by  the  excited  Wassa.  Over  stones  and 
stumps  and  bushes  bounded  the  light  Will-o'- 
the-wisp,  and,  in  spite  of  Wassa's  vigorous 
exertions,  he  managed  to  keep  the  distance  be 
tween  them  exactly  the  same. 

Faster  and  faster  came  \Vassa's  breath,  but 
so  lightly  did  the  wisp  float  along  that  he  re 
mained  as  fresh  as  when  he  first  started. 

"  O'er  bush  and  o'er  stone,  when  the  day's  done, 
The  chase  is  ended,  the  race  is  won," 

called  out  the  wisp. 

Wassa  now  noticed  for  the  first  time  that 
the  day  was  nearly  done,  but  this  only  caused 


122      THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

her  to  redouble  her  efforts,  and  on  they  went, 
faster  than  ever.  She  did  not  observe  that  the 
wary  wisp  drew  her  farther  and  farther  into  the 
woods,  and  nearer  to  the  very  meadow  into 
which  she  had  intended  to  entice  the  hunter's 
little  maid. 

As  he  approached  the  meadow,  the  wisp 
occasionally  allowed  his  pursuer  to  approach 
so  closely  that  she  could  almost  put  her  hand 
on  him,  and  then,  at  the  very  moment  she 
thought  to  grasp  him,  off  he  was  again,  as  dis 
tant  as  before.  This  had  the  effect  of  making 
Wassa  more  determined  to  succeed,  and  she 
redoubled  her  speed,  not  heeding  in  her  excite 
ment  that  the  ground  under  her  feet  was 
becoming  damp  and  soft. 

At  last  it  seemed  as  if  the  strength  of  the 
wisp  were  indeed  giving  out.  Pie  was  almost 
within  Wassa's  grasp,  his  steps  wavered,  and 
the  light  from  his  lantern  flickered  and  grew 
dim.  Wassa  made  a  vigorous  bound  forward, 
with  both  hands  extended,  when  suddenly  the 
apparently  exhausted  wisp  gave  a  long  leap  to 
one  side,  out  went  the  lantern,  and  Wassa 
plunged  heavily  forward,  up  to  her  knees  in 
water,  and  felt  her  feet  gradually  settling  in 


THE  BROWN  BEETLE  UNDERTAKES  A  MISSION.    123 

the  soft  mud  of  the  cranberry  bog,  —  the  very 
spot  into  which  she  had  intended  to  entice 
innocent  Mona. 

M  Help  !  "  screamed  Wassa,  striving  vainly  to 
extricate  herself,  "help!  I  am  sinking  deeper 
and  deeper  in  the  mire ! " 


"  The  chase  is  o'er,  the  race  is  won  , 
There  wilt  thou  stay  till  rise  of  sun. 
Thou  mad^t  thy  plan,  and  so  did  we, 
But  we  planned  best,  as  thou  dost  see," 

called  out  the  mischievous  wisp,  suddenly  ap 
pearing  with  his  lantern  lighted. 


124       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

To  Wassa's  plaintive  calls  for  help  the  wisp 
replied  only  with  jeering  laughs  and  derisive 
questions,  and,  after  satisfying  his  merriment, 
left  her  to  her  fate.  She  watched  him  as  long 
as  he  was  in  sight,  as  he  danced  over  the 
meadow  and  finally  disappeared  from  her  view. 

Loudly  and  long  did  Wassa  cry  for  help, 
but  not  a  sound  reached  her  in  reply,  except 
the  lonesome  cries  of  the  night  birds  and  the 
occasional  barking  of  foxes. 

"Get  away,  thou  horrid  thing!"  exclaimed 
Wassa  angrily  as  a  large  brown  beetle  flew 
against  her. 

The  beetle  was  none  other  than  our  honest 
little  friend,  who,  convinced  that  mischief  was 
intended,  had  set  his  dull  little  mind  to  work 
to  discover  what  was  going  on  about  him. 

A  conscientious  soul  as  ever  lived  was  the 
brown  beetle,  and,  in  spite  of  Wassa's  rude 
repulse,  he  was  determined  to  assist  her  in  her 
trouble  if  he  could.  But  what  could  he  do  ? 
He  set  his  slow  mind  to  work.  This  mischief 
he  was  sure  was  the  result  of  the  conversation 
between  the  blue  dragon-fly  and  the  Will-o'-the- 
wisp,  and  neither  of  them  was  conscientious 
enough  to  repair  the  harm  done. 


THE  BROWN  BEETLE  UNDERTAKES  A  MISSION.     125 

Meanwhile  Wassa's  cries  still  continued,  but 
not  a  plan  for  her  rescue  could  the  beetle 
devise.  Suddenly  he  bethought  himself  of 
the  spirit  of  the  dell.  She  was  so  powerful, 
might  she  not  be  able  to  assist  him? 

No  sooner  did  this  thought  take  form  in  the 
brown  beetle's  mind  than  he  set  off  at  once,  tired 
although  he  was,  to  seek  an  interview  with  the 
spirit  of  the  dell. 

Through  the  dark,  wet  meadow  flew  and 
crawled  the  good  little  beetle,  bent  on  his 
errand  of  mercy,  often  stopping  to  rest. 

"  Good  Will-o'-the-wisp,  wilt  thou  not  light 
me  on  my  way  ?  The  night  is  very  dark," 
called  out  the  beetle. 

But  the  selfish  and  waggish  wisp  refused  to 
aid  the  beetle,  and  he  continued  his  journey 
alone. 

At  last  the  beetle  met  a  glowworm,  wrig 
gling  his  shining  body  through  the  meadow 
grass,  and  he  begged  him  to  lend  him  his  light ; 
but  the  glowworm  refused  when  he  was  told 
for^whom  his  assistance  was  needed. 

"  If  it  were  to  help  the  hunter's  little  maid, 
I  would  willingly  assist  thee,"  replied  the  glow 
worm,  "  but  I  will  not  loan  my  light  for  Wassa. 


126       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

She  has  destroyed  too  many  of  our  tribe  for 
that/' 

With  a  sigh  of  despair,  on  went  the  good 
little  beetle,  until  he  met  a  large  firefly  skim 
ming  lightly  along. 

"  Good  firefly,  wilt  thou  not  lend  me  thy 
light  to  find  the  spirit  of  the  dell  ?  I  seek 
her  aid  to  free  a  poor  little  maid  who  is  fast  in 
yon  cranberry  bog." 

"  What  may  be  the  name  of  the  little  maid?  " 
asked  the  firefly,  stopping  for  an  instant. 

"  She  is  called  Wassa,"  replied  the  brown 
beetle. 

"Not  I!"  replied  the  firefly.  "Wassa  has 
chased  me  too  many  times  for  that ;  and  too 
many  of  our  tribe  have  been  captured  by  her. 
If  it  were  the  hunter's  little  maid  I  would  will 
ingly  go  with  thee." 

"  Shall  I  ever  reach  the  spirit  of  the  dell  ? " 
murmured  the  good  little  beetle  as  the  firefly 
soared  high  into  the  air.  "  None  will  help 


me." 


At  last  the  beetle  bethought  himself  of  the 
moon. 

"  Dear,  good  moon,"  pleaded  the  patient  little 
beetle, "  wilt  thou  not  light  me  on  my  way  to 


TIIF.    liKMWN   HEETLE  I'NDEKTAKKS  A   MISSI<>\.     127 

the  spirit  of  the  dell  ?  I  know  Wassa  is  not 
a  good,  kind  child,  but  she  is  in  a  sad  plight, 
and  it  seems  wrong  not  to  try  to  assist  her. 
Do,  I  pray  thee,  lend  me  a  little  of  thy  light. 
It  is  so  very  dark." 

Almost  before  the  beetle  finished,  out  came 
the  moon  from  behind  a  cloud,  full  and  bright, 
and  lighted  up  the  meadow  from  end  to  end. 
A  placid,  motherly  smile  was  on  her  face,  and 
the  good  little  beetle's  heart  gave  a  great  leap 
for  joy. 

Now  the  way  was  as  clear  as  if  it  were  day 
light,  and  with  his  little  heart  beating  with 
courage  and  hope,  the  brown  beetle  soon 
reached  the  river  in  which  the  spirit  of  the 
dell  made  her  home. 


128      THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE    LAND    OF    THE    AFTER-GLOW. 

The  river  looked  very  wide  and  long  to  the 
brown  beetle,  and  he  never  before,  in  the  course 
of  his  life,  had  felt  so  small  and  helpless.  He 
was  sorely  tempted  to  abandon  his  intention 
of  summoning  the  spirit  of  the  dell,  but  as  he 
hesitated,  a  faint  cry  for  help  from  Wassa  in 
the  distant  cranberry  bog  determined  him. 

With  his  heart  beating  loudly  against  his 
little  sides,  the  brown  beetle  recited  the  lines 
which  he  knew  would  summon  the  powerful 
spirit  of  the  dell :  — 

"  Spirit  of  the  dell  so  fair, 
List,  I  pray,  unto  my  prayer. 
Dull  am  I,  but  wise  art  thou ; 
Wilt  thou  deign  to  tell  me  how 
I  can  rescue  from  her  plight 
That  poor  maid,  ere  morning's  light?  " 

For  a  moment  there  was  silence,  during 
which  the  beetle's  heart  thumped  more  loudly 
than  ever.  Then  a  faint  streak  of  mist  was 


TIIK    LAND    OF   THE    A!  fER-GLOW. 


I29 


seen  rising  on  the  distant  river.  Nearer  and 
nearer  it  came,  very  distinct  in  the  bright 
moonlight,  until  it  stood  opposite  to  the  brown 
beetle,  when  it  re 
mained  stationary. 
Gradually  the 
column  of  mist 
assumed  the  form 
of  a  beautiful  fe 
male  figure,  and 
slowly  and  grace 
fully  it  bent  toward 
the  brown  beetle, 
until  these  words, 
that  sounded  like 
the  wind  breathing 
softly  through  the  forest 
pines,  fell  on  the  beetle's 
ears  :  — 

"  From  the  land  of  mist  and  dew 

Come  I  when  one  calls  on  me. 
Tell  me,  beetle  good  and  true, 
If  I  can  do  aught  for  thee." 

The  dull  mind  of  the  good  little  beetle  felt  a 
glow  of  pleasure  at  this  kind  reception.  Slow 
of  speech  was  he,  but  he  knew  it  was  proper 


130      THE    FAIRY-FOLK     OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

to  address  the  spirit  of  the  dell  in  the  lan 
guage  usually  spoken  by  the  fairy-folk,  so  with 
a  great  effort  he  answered  as  well  as  he  was 

able :  — 

» 

"  Gracious  spirit  of  the  dell, 
Wassa  is  in  direful  need. 
Grant  to  me  a  fairy  spell 

That  shall  rescue  her  with  speed." 

For  answer,  the  spirit  of  the  dell  slowly 
moved  her  head  from  side  to  side  as  she 
answered  :  — 

"  Spell  was  never  wove  by  me, 

Nor  either  potent  charm  I  own 
That  can  set  poor  Wassa  free  ; 
So  adieu,  good  beetle  brown." 

"  Oh  !  dear,"  cried  the  beetle  in  his  native 
tongue  as  the  spirit  of  the  dell  receded  and 
her  form  grew  fainter  and  fainter,  "pray  tell 
me  what  to  do  !  I  cannot  leave  that  poor  maid 
in  such  a  plight,  and  I  am  too  small  and  stupid 
to  rescue  her  myself.  It  must  be  that  some  one 
has  power  to  help  me.  Only  tell  me  where  to 
find  him,  and  I  will  go  as  long  as  I  can  move 
my  wings." 


TIIK    LAM>    OK    THE    AFTER-GLOW.  131 

Still  slowly  receding,  the  spirit  replied:  — 

"  Who  has  courage,  beetle  brown, 

And  a  kind  heart,  then  he  may 
To  the  After-glow  go  down, 

And  seek  the  little  man  in  gray." 

As  the  spirit  of  the  dell  spoke  the  last 
words,  merely  a  column  of  mist  was  seen  in  the 
distance,  and  in  a  moment  more  that  too  was 
gone. 

"  What  shall  I  do  ?  How  can  I  ever  find 
him  ?  "  moaned  the  poor  little  beetle. 

"  Whoo  !  Whoo!  "  shouted  a  large  owl  close 
at  hand. 

"  Why,  the  little  man  in  gray,"  replied  the 
brown  beetle.  "  The  spirit  of  the  dell  told  me 
to  seek  him  in  the  land  of  the  After-glow. 
Canst  thou  tell  me  where  it  is  ?  " 

"  Never  heard  of  the  place,"  said  the  owl. 
"  But  I  know  who  can  tell  thee,  if  there  really 
is  such  a  place,  which  I  very  much  doubt." 

"  Oh  !  tell  me,"  cried  the  brown  beetle 
quickly,  "  who  can  direct  me  ?  " 

"My  cousin,  Judge  Owl,"  replied  the  owl. 
"  He  is  very  wise,  and  knows  by  heart  all  the 
4  Laws  of  the  Woods.'  " 


132 


THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 


"Where  can  I  find  him?  "  asked  the  brown 
beetle. 

"  By  the  two  large  chestnut  trees  in  yonder 
wood,"  answered  the  owl. 

"  Then  the  sooner  I  start  on  my  journey  the 
better,"  said  the  brown  beetle,  "  for  I  go  but 
slowly,  and  the  night  is  already  far 
gone.     I  would  that  my  wings  were 
as  long  and  strong  as  thine  ; "  and 
the   patient  little  beetle  sighed  as 
he  glanced  admiringly  at 
the    strong  wings    of   his 
companion. 

"  Sit  on  my  back  and 
thou  wilt  soon  be  there," 
said  the  owl  obligingly. 

The  brown  beetle  has 
tened  to  take  advantage 
of  this  kind  offer,  and  they 
were  soon  rushing  through  the  air  at  a  speed 
that  quite  took  away  the  beetle's  breath.  They 
were  soon  over  the  spot  where  the  two  large 
chestnuts  stood,  and  the  owl  descended  in 
graceful  circles,  and  alighted  on  a  branch  of 
the  largest  tree. 

Seated  in  solemn  dignity  in  a  crotch  of  the 


THE    LAND    OF    THE    AFI'ER-CL'  >\Y.  133 

huge  tree  was  Judge  Owl,  the  wisest  and  most 
experienced  of  birds.  As  he  turned  his  great 
yellow  eyes  upon  the  brown  beetle,  that  mod 
est  little  creature  felt  that  he  had  indeed  taken 
a  great  liberty  in  presenting  himself  before 
such  a  powerful  personage. 

44  What  is  thy  business?"  demanded  the 
judge  in  solemn  tones,  after  he  had  stared  so 
long  at  the  brown  beetle  that  the  poor  little 
creature  was  frightened  out  of  his  wits. 

"Wilt  thou  be  kind  enough  to  tell  me  if  it 
says  in  the  '  Laws  of  the  Woods '  where  the 
land  of  the  After-glow  lies?"  said  the  little 
beetle  timidly. 

M  What  hast  thou  to  clo  with  the  land  of  the 
After-glow,  pray?"  asked  the  judge  sternly. 

"The  little  man  in  gray  dwells  there,"  re 
plied  the  brown  beetle  meekly. 

"  Dost  thou  mean  to  say  that  thou  hast  the 
audacity  to  seek  the  little  gray  man?"  asked 
Judge  Owl. 

k4  The  spirit  of  the  dell  told  me  to  go  to  him," 
answered  the  brown  beetle  ;  and  he  related  how 
Wassa  had  been  decoyed  into  the  cranberry  bog 
by  the  mischievous  Will-o'-the-wisp,  and  ex 
pressed  his  determination  to  obtain  aid  for  her. 


134      THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF   THE    BLUE    HILL. 

"  Will  is  a  tricky  fellow,"  said  the  judge.  "  I 
wonder  the  little  maid  did  not  know  better  than 
to  follow  him.  Thou  art  brave  and  good- 
natured,  beetle,  and  I  will  try  to  help  thee;" 
and  the  judge's  countenance  grew  quite  mild 
as  he  gazed  at  the  little  beetle. 

Judge  Owl  sat  for  a  few  moments  lost  in 
thought,  with  one  eye  closed  and  the  other 
wide  open.  He  could  think  much  better  thus, 
and  it  crave  him  a  look  of  o;reat  wisdom.  The  lit- 

o  C) 

tie  brown  beetle  himself  was  greatly  awed  by  it. 
"Ha!     I    have    it!"    exclaimed    the    judge 
after  a  long  pause,  and  he  repeated  solemnly 
these  lines  :  — 

"  Let  all  men  by  these  presents  know, 
That  the  land  of  the  After- glow 
Sends  back  from  the  hill  so  blue 
Rosy  rays  of  the  sunset  hue." 

"  Now,"  said  Judge  Owl,  when  he  had  fin 
ished,  and  in  his  most  pompous  manner,  "what 
is  clearer  than  that  ?  " 

"  Very  clear  indeed,  and  I  thank  thee  with  all 
my  heart,"  replied  the  brown  beetle  gratefully. 
"  It  was  very  stupid  of  me  not  to  think  of  it 
before." 


THE    LAND    OF    THE    AFTER-GLOW.  135 

"  If  all  were  wise,  my  little  friend,  there 
would  be  no  occasion  for  the  4  Laws  of  the 
Woods.'  We  have  them  to  straighten  out 
matters,"  answered  Judge  Owl. 

"  There  is  no  time  to  lose,"  said  the  owl  who 
had  so  obligingly  conducted  the  brown  beetle 
thither,  "and  if  thou  sayest  so,  I  will  take  thee 
to  the  land  of  the  After-glow." 

"  With  all  my  heart,"  replied  the  brown 
beetle,  and,  tightly  clutching  the  owl's  thick 
feathers  with  his  prickly  little  feet,  they  were 
once  more  soaring  through  the  air  at  a  rapid 
flight. 

On  his  expedition  went  the  brown  beetle, 
sailing  high  over  the  tallest  trees  and  brooks 
and  meadows,  the  moon  shining  steadily  and 
patiently  to  light  him  on  his  way,  until  the 
owl  alighted  on  a  tree  that  grew  on  the  west 
ern  side  of  the  Blue  Hill. 

"  Now,  good  little  beetle,  I  can  do  no  more 
for  thee.  I  must  do  much  work  before  daylight. 
But  I  wish  thee  all  success;"  and  away  flew  the 
owl  without  waiting  for  thanks. 

The  brown  beetle  found  himself  alone  on 
the  great  hill.  Not  a  living  creature  was  in 
sight,  and  the  beetle  felt  smaller  and  more 


136      THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

powerless  than  ever.  The  placid  face  of  the 
moon  seemed  to  encourage  him,  and,  taking- 
heart,  in  a  faint  voice  he  called  on  the  little 
gray  man  thus  :  — 

"O  most  mighty  man  in  gray, 
Listen  to  my  call,  I  pray. 
Almost,  now,  the  night  is  gone, 
And  my  work  is  left  undone. 
Thou  alone  canst  do  the  deed ; 
Wilt  thou  not  my  summons  heed?" 

All  was  still  as  before ;  not  a  rustle  of  leaf 
or  twig  broke  the  profound  silence  that  fol 
lowed  the  brown  beetle's  appeal ;  but  he  gave 
a  great  start  of  surprise  as  the  little  gray  man 
stood  suddenly  before  him. 

"Thou  hast  summoned  me,  little  brown 
beetle;  what  is  it  thou  wouldst  have  me  do?" 
asked  the  little  gray  man. 

"  O  mighty  man  in  gray,"  cried  the  brown 
beetle,  "the  rover's  little  maid  is  fast  in  the 
cold,  wet  cranberry  bog,  calling  vainly  for  help. 
Wilt  thou  not  rescue  her  ?  " 

"Why  dost  thou  concern  thyself  about 
that  little  maid  ?  "  asked  the  little  gray  man, 
looking  intently,  but  not  unkindly,  on  the  brown 
beetle. 


THE    LAM)    OF   THE    AFTEK-GU  )\V.  137 

"  Because  I  cannot  hear  her  piteous  cries 
without  wishing  to  help  her,"  replied  the 
beetle. 

"Dost  thou  not  know  the  naughty  pranks 
her  envy  of  the  hunter's  little  maid  has  led  her 
to  commit  ?  "  asked  the  little  gray  man. 

kl  I  know  them  all,"  replied  the  beetle  sadly. 

"And  did  she  not  repulse  thee  rudely  but 
now  ?  " 

"  It  is  true,"  answered  the  beetle. 

"And  still  thou  hast  undertaken  for  her  an 
arduous  and  dangerous  task,"  said  the  little 
gray  man  in  a  kindly  tone.  "Little  beetle, 
thou  hast  a  large  heart  beneath  thy  honest 
brown  skin,  and  for  thy  sake  will  I  grant  thy 
request.  Go  to  thy  rest,  good  beetle,  and  I 
will  finish  thy  task." 

The  little  gray  man  lightly  stamped  his  foot 
upon  the  rock  upon  which  he  stood.  Soon  a 
rumbling  was  heard,  and  the  ground  vibrated 
as  if  swayed  by  an  earthquake.  The  brown 
beetle  understood  what  this  meant,  and  watched 
from  his  safe  position  on  a  hazel  bush  to  see 
what  was  about  to  happen. 

Before  long,  huge  objects  were  seen  coming 
down  the  hill,  one  after  another.  These  the 


138      THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

beetle  knew  were  the  giants;  and,  as  they  ap 
proached,  they  rubbed  their  sleepy  eyes,  and 
stretched  their  long  legs  with  many  a  yawn 
that  reverberated  among  the  hills  like  claps  of 
thunder. 

"Here  we  are,  master,"  said  the  giants  as 
they  halted  before  the  little  gray  man.  "  What 
wouldst  thou  with  us  ? " 

"  Wake  up,  ye  great  sleepy  heads,  and  listen 
to  me,"  said  the  little  gray  man  sternly,  as  an 
unusually  loud  yawn  was  heard. 

"  We  try,  master,"  answered  one  of  the 
giants,  "  but  we  sleep  soundly,  and  it  is  not 
easy  to  shake  off  sleep  at  so  short  a  notice." 

The  little  gray  man  continued  in  a  milder 
tone :  — 

"  The  rover's  little  maid  is  imprisoned  in 
yonder  cranberry  bog,  and  must  be  rescued 
this  night." 

"  There  let  her  stay,"  answered  one  of  the 
giants  roughly ;  "  it  will  be  a  lesson  for  her. 
We  have  heard  of  her  plottings  against  the 
hunter's  little  maid.  There  let  her  stay,  I  say." 

"  WThat !  "  cried  the  little  gray  man  in  the 
imperious  tone  that  always  subdued  the  giants, 
"  wouldst  thou  rebel  against  my  authority  ? " 


THE    LAND    OF    THE    AFTER-GLOW. 


139 


"Master,  forgive,"  replied  the  giant  submis 
sively;  "  I  meant  not  to  dispute  thy  commands. 
But  we  know  this  little  maid  to  be  envious- 
minded,  and  we  would  unwillingly  assist  her." 

"Listen  to  me,"  commanded  the  little  man, 


"and  question  not  my  orders.  Yonder  peb 
ble,"  pointing  to  a  spur  of  the  hill  that  broke 
its  even  outline,  "lies  in  our  path.  Do  thou, 
Rockroller,  pick  it  up  and  cast  it  into  the 
ocean." 


I4O      THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

Rockroller  approached  the  mass  of  rock, 
and  placing  his  hands  under  its  edges,  bent  to 
the  task  of  disengaging  it  from  its  solid  foun 
dation.  The  sinews  of  his  brawny  arms 
swelled  and  knotted  with  the  £no;antic  effort. 

£5    £5 

One  more  vigorous  pull,  and  yet  another,  and 
slowly  the  huge  mass  gave  way.  Then  taking 
it  firmly  in  the  hollow  of  his  great  hand,  and 
steadying  himself  for  the  task,  with  his  feet 
wide  apart,  giant  Rockroller  gave  his  strong 
right  arm  a  mighty  swing,  and  away  sped  the 
huge  mass  far  over  the  hill,  growing  smaller 
and  smaller,  until  it  looked  like  a  speck  in  the 
distance,  then  gradually  disappeared  behind 
a  wooded  hill.  Immediately  a  shower  of  foam 
arose  as  it  splashed  into  the  ocean,  and  there 
it  stands  to  this  day,  and  is  known  by  the 
name  of  "  Half  Tide  Rock." 

"  Twigtwister,  come  hither,"  commanded  the 
little  gray  man,  and  the  great  giant  came  for 
ward. 

"  Dost  thou  see  yonder  grove  of  saplings  ?  " 
asked  the  little  gray  man,  pointing  to  a  forest 
of  lofty  pines  that  lay  between  the  hill  and  the 
cranberry  bog. 

"Aye,  master,"  answered  the  giant  meekly. 


THK    LANK   01    nil-:   AI  TF.k-<;i.<>\\ .          141 

"  Pull  them  up,  T \vi-t\vister ;  they  will  serve 
to  light  thy  fire  for  to-morrow's  meal,"  said  the 
little  gray  man. 

Twigtwister  stepped  up  to  the  forest,  and, 
stooping  over  one  of  the  tallest  pines,  grasped 
it  with  both  hands,  and  with  all  his  strength, 
as  a  child  would  uproot  a  weed,  twisted  it 
from  side  to  side.  Slowly  the  earth  about  the 
huge  tree  loosened,  and  fissures  appeared 
above  the  long  roots.  Still  the  giant  twisted, 
and  soon  the  large  roots  appeared  above  the 
ground.  Gradually  the  giant  straightened  his 
tall  form,  and,  as  he  stood  upright,  he  held  in 
his  hand  the  great  tree  with  its  trailing  roots. 

One  after  another  of  the  huge  pines  did 
T  \vigtwister  uproot,  until  not  one  was  left,  and 
a  great  pile  of  trees  and  roots  towrered  beside 
him. 

"A  goodly  handful  of  twigs  hast  thou  for 
thy  fire,"  remarked  the  little  gray  man. 

"  Swiftstepper,"  commanded  once  more  the 
little  gray  man,  "come  hither." 

"  Here,  master,"  answered  that  giant  as  he 
came  forward. 

"  Step  over  to  yon  cranberry  bog  and  bring 
to  me  the  little  maid  thou  wilt  find  there ;  and 


142       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF   THE    BLUE    HILL. 

mind  thou  play'st  no  tricks  with  me,"  said  the 
little  gray  man. 

"Aye,  master;  to  hear  is  to  obey,"  answered 
Swiftstepper;  and,  striding  over  the  forest  as 
easily  as  a  man  would  walk  over  a  grassy  field, 
his  first  step  carried  him  half  a  mile  ;  the  next 
step  took  him  beyond  the  range  of  the  smaller 
hills,  and  with  the  next  one  he  was  out  of 
sight. 

In  a  few  moments  the  giant  reappeared,  the 
same  gigantic  strides  bringing  him  to  the  spot 
where  the  little  gray  man  stood,  and  the 
struggling  Wassa  was  placed  before  the  little 
man  in  gray. 


WASSA    RETURNS    TO    FAIRYLAND.  143 


CHAPTER   XI. 

WASSA    RETURNS    TO    FAIRYLAND. 

You  may  be  sure  that  Wassa  was  well  fright 
ened  when  she  found  herself  before  the  little 
gray  man  and  saw  all  the  huge  giants  about 
her,  but  even  that  was  preferable  to  remaining 
all  night  in  the  cold,  wet  cranberry  bog. 

The  giant  Swiftstepper  had  placed  Wassa 
directly  in  front  of  the  little  man  in  gray,  and 
she  could  but  look  at  him.  His  countenance 
was  very  stern. 

"  Wassa,"  began  the  little  man  in  gray,  "thou 
art  well  known  to  me.  All  the  mischief  thy 
envy  of  the  hunter's  little  maid  has  caused  thee 
to  do  I  know.  Thou  it  was  who  took  from 
her  nets  the  fishes,  and  my  little  elves,  not  she, 
put  the  stones  in  thy  net.  Thou,  too,  it  was 
who  sought  to  hide  the  net  at  the  bottom  of 
the  pond,  and  thou  again  it  was  who  enticed 
the  little  maid  up  the  hill,  and  tossed  her  pretty 
cap  where  thou  thought'st  it  never  again  would 
be  found;  but  the  fairy-folk  watch  over  all 


144       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

kindly  souls,  and  again  was  thy  intended  mis 
chief  prevented,  and  good  came  from  thy  evil 
intentions,  for  by  that  means  was  Mona  en 
abled  to  see  the  beauties  of  Fairyland.  I 
know,  too,  what  thou  hadst  planned  to  do  this 
very  night ;  and,  had  it  not  been  for  the  honest 
little  friend  that  pleaded  thy  cause,  I  would  have 
left  thee  sticking  in  the  cranberry  bog,  as  thou 
didst  plan  to  leave  Mona." 

"  Mona  is  proud  of  her  fine  clothes,  and  it 
would  have  served  her  right  to  lose  her  fine 
cap,''  said  Wassa  sulkily. 

"She  likes  the  cap  as  thou  wouldst  like  it  if 
it  were  thine,  because  it  is  pretty,  and  also  be 
cause  it  is  a  gift  from  her  mother,"  replied  the 
little  man. 

"She  is  a  spoiled  child,"  said  Wassa. 

"The  worst  kind  of  spoiled  children  are 
those  who  envy  others  for  having  what  they 
themselves  have  not,"  said  the  little  gray  man 
severely.  "  I  perceive,  my  little  maid,  that  thy 
heart  is  still  full  of  envy,  and  that  thou  wilt 
make  thy  younger  brother  and  sisters  as  en 
vious  as  thou  art.  Therefore  this  have  I  de 
cided  to  do  :  thou  shalt  be  placed  in  charge 
of  my  little  gnomes,  and  have  the  care  of  a 


WASSA    RKTl  RNS    TO    FAIRYLAND.  145 

truly  spoiled  child  until  thou  hast  learned  to 
know  thy  own  heart.  Swiftstepper,  take  up 
this  little  maid  once  more  and  bear  her  to 
King  Rondo's  domains.  He  knows  what  he 
has  to  do." 

With  these  words  the  little  man  in  gray 
vanished  as  suddenly  as  he  had  appeared;  and, 
in  spite  of  her  struggles,  Swiftstepper  once 
more  picked  up  Wassa,  and,  with  one  of  his 
long  strides,  stood  before  the  high  stone  wall 
that  shut  in  King  Rondo's  domains. 

The  huge  door  rolled  slowly  back,  the  giant 
placed  Wassa  inside,  then  withdrew,  and  the 
door  rolled  back  into  place. 

While  Wassa  was  imprisoned  in  the  cran 
berry  bog,  the  elves,  as  was  their  nightly 
custom,  assembled  for  their  revels.  This  night 
they  were  unusually  gay  and  noisy,  and  peals 
of  laughter  were  heard  continually. 

Since  several  days  the  elves  had  been  put 
ting  their  little  heads  together  and  plotting 
with  their  little  brains,  and  now,  at  last,  their 
plans  were  perfected.  In  their  midst  stood 
that  mischief-loving  sprite,  Toto  the  Slim. 
Whatever  he  had  been  saying  afforded  hi> 
companions  great  amusement,  for  they  were 


146      THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

actually  holding  their  little  sides  from  laughter, 
and  the  blue  dragon-fly,  asleep  in  the  yellow 
lily,  awoke  in  time  to  catch  these  words  from 
Toto :  — 

"  My  friends,  it  is  too  bad,  ye  know, 
But  I  fear  it  will  have  to  go." 

Then  with  a  dapper  air  Toto  the  Slim 
twirled  the  ends  of  his  blond  mustache,  that 
was  as  light  as  thistle  down,  and  of  about 
the  same  shade,  and  that  was  the  hope  and 
pride  of  his  life.  Was  it  possible  he  meant 
that  that  must  go  ?  The  blue  dragon-fly  could 
hardly  believe  it,  and  why  must  it  go? 

Toto  knelt  by  the  brink  of  the  pond,  and, 
using  its  clear  surface  for  a  mirror,  and  a  piece 
of  sharp-edged  grass  for  a  razor,  with  a  few 
quick,  skilful  strokes,  off  came  his  beloved 
mustache. 

What  a  change  was  wrought  in  him  !  Could 
it  be  Toto  the  Slim  ?  He  was  fair  and  plump 
and  rosy,  looking  like  a  dimpled  child  of  three. 

"  Think  ye,"  he  cried,  as  he  gayly  laughed, 
"that  I  could  pass  for  a  spoiled  child  ?  " 

And  Toto,  puckering  up  his  rosy  little 
mouth,  imitated  the  crying  of  a  naughty, 


WASSA    RETURNS    TO    FAIRVLANL.  147 

peevish  child,  at  the  same  time  jumping  up 
and  down  and  stamping  his  feet  after  the  man 
ner  of  spoiled  children. 

The  blue  dragon-fly  wondered  more  and 
more  at  this  conduct  of  Toto's.  Why  did  he 
want  to  pass  for  a  spoiled  child  ?  While  she  was 
busied  in  wondering,  a  gnome  appeared,  and 
hastily  informed  Toto  the  Slim  that  King 
Rondo  wished  him  to  hasten  to  the  cavern  as 
Wassa  was  already  there. 

At  this  summons  away  sped  Toto  the  Slim, 
followed  by  the  band  of  elves,  and  also  by  the 
blue  dragon-fly,  who  was  curious  to  fathom 
the  mystery.  When  they  reached  the  cave  the 
rocky  door  rolled  back,  and  Toto  the  slim  nim 
bly  slipped  inside.  The  door  fell  back  into 
its  place,  and  the  dragon-fly  was  no  wiser  than 
before. 

Wassa  found  herself  surrounded  by  gnomes, 
who,  crowding  about  her,  hurried  her  into  the 
banquet  hall  where  King  Rondo  sat  eating  his 
evening  meal.  As  Wassa  entered,  he  finished 
his  repast,  and,  pushing  back  his  seat,  beckoned 
to  his  gnomes  to  bring  W7assa  to  him. 

It  was  impossible  for  King  Rondo  to  make 
his  fat  rosy  face  look  otherwise  than  jolly  and 


148      THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

good-humored,  particularly  just  after  a  hearty 
meal  of  his  favorite  dish  of  *  grubs  on  toast." 
The  king,  however,  tried  to  look  as  stern  as 
possible,  and  drew  his  hand  over  his  face  to 
give  the  lines  a  downward  curve.  When 
Wassa  was  placed  before  him  he  looked  at  her 
for  a  while  in  silence,  to  impress  her  with  his 
dignity,  and  then  addressed  her  thus  :  — 

"This  time,  my  dear,  thou'st  come  to  stay, 
So  says  the  little  man  in  gray ; 
And  trials  great  must  be  endured 
Until  of  envy  thou  art  cured. 
For  there's  no  fault  beneath  the  sun 
That  does  more  harm  than  this  same  one. 
The  best  way  is,  to  draw  it  mild, 
To  be  the  nurse  of  a  spoiled  child. 
What  ho  there,  gnomes  !  I  pray  thee  bring 
The  fairy  prince  before  the  king." 

One  of  the  gnomes  quickly  disappeared,  and 
immediately  were  heard  loud  outcries  like 
those  made  by  self-willed  children,  and  in  a 
moment  the  gnome  reappeared,  bearing  in  his 
arms  the  fairy  prince,  who  was  screaming  and 
struggling  to  free  himself. 

The  king,  frowning  upon  the  gnome,  said :  — 

"  Hey  dey  !  hey  dey  !  what  is  all  this? 
And  what  is  it  that's  gone  amiss?" 


WASSA    RETURNS    TO    FAIRYLAND.  149 

"  Sire,  the  young  prince  was  hard  at  play, 
And  did  not  wish  to  come  this  way." 
And  all  this  time  the  naughty  child 
Filled  the  air  with  screams  so  wild. 

•''Prince,"  said  the  king,  "listen  to  me; 
Wassa  has  come  thy  nurse  to  be. 
Her  duty  is  to  wait  on  thee, 
And  to  thy  whims  she  must  agree." 
Then  turning  to  the  maid  he  said, 

"Go,  put  the  prince  at  once  to  bed." 

Not  daring  to  disobey  the  king,  Wassa  went 
toward  the  prince  and  attempted  to  take  him 
from  the  arms  of  the  gnome,  but  the  instant 
she  put  out  her  arms  to  take  him,  the  prince 
gave  vent  to  terrific  howls,  and  kicked  and 
struggled  harder  than  ever. 

"Thou  horrid  nurse,  now  go  away  ! 
I  will  not  go  with  thee,  I  say  ! " 

screamed  the  naughty  prince. 

Wassa  looked  toward  the  king,  expecting 
him  to  interfere  and  compel  his  little  son  to  do 
as  he  desired,  but,  to  her  surprise,  he  seemed 
well  pleased  with  the  prince's  behavior,  and 
laughed  until  his  double  chin  shook. 

"Let  him,  Wassa,  have  his  way, 
Thou  must  never  say  him  nay," 


I5O      THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

said  the  king,  whereupon  the  fairy  prince 
screamed  louder  than  ever. 

At  last  the  king  evidently  became  tired  of 
listening  to  the  child's  screams,  and  ordered 
Wassa  to  pick  up  the  prince  and  take  him  to 
bed,  and  Wassa  endeavored  to  obey%. 

Not  so  minded  was  the  fairy  prince,  how 
ever. 

"  To  the  fishes'  cave,  I  say  ! 

With  them  I  wish  awhile  to  play," 

commanded  the  prince,  and  Wassa  dared  not 
oppose  him.  So,  taking  him  in  her  arms,  she 
sought  the  cave,  where,  on  her  former  visit,  she 
had  seen  the  ugly  reptiles  wriggling  their  way 
through  the  dark  water.  On  that  night  the 
cave  was  dark,  but  now  all  Fairyland  was 
ablaze  with  light.  In  the  grotto  the  water  of 
the  pond  was  now  clear  as  crystal,  and  gold 
and  silver  fishes  sported  through  it,  exactly  as 
Mona  had  described  it. 

Wassa  set  the  fairy  prince  on  the  ground, 
and  he  amused  himself  by  reaching  far  over  the 
edge  of  the  pond  and  trying  to  catch  the  fishes 
as  they  swam  by.  This  caused  Wassa  great 
uneasiness  for  fear  he  might  tumble  in,  and 
she  dreaded  the  consequences  that  would  fol- 


WASSA    RETURNS    TO    F-AIRYLAND. 


low  such  carelessness  on  her  part.  She  tried 
to  hold  her  venturesome  charge  back,  but  at 
every  attempt  to  restrain  him  he  set  up  a  yell 
that  resounded  through  the  cavern  so  loudly 
that  Wassa  feared  it  would  reach  the  ears  of 
the  king. 


The  fairy  prince  continued  this  sport  until 
Wassa  was  very  weary,  and  she  tried  in  vain  to 
persuade  him  to  allow  her  to  take  him  to  bed. 

"  No  !  "  cried  the  prince,  I  tell  thee  no  ! 
To  the  birds'  cave  I  wish  to  go." 


152      THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

Nothing  was  to  be  done  but  to  carry  the 
obstreperous  prince  to  the  cave  of  the  birds, 
and  a  weary  walk  it  was,  through  long  and  brill 
iantly  lighted  passages.  Often  must  Wassa 
stop  for  her  charge  to  look  at  the  bright  stones 
that  adorned  the  sides  of  the  cavern,  and  to 
pick  the  gay  flowers  that  grew  in  the  path. 


After  a  tedious  walk,  the  cave  of  the  birds 
was  reached,  but  how  different  was  it  from 
what  Wassa  saw  before !  A  light  bright  as 
the  most  brilliant  sunshine  streamed  through 
the  trees  laden  with  the  most  tempting  fruit 


WASSA    RETURNS    TO    FAIRYLAND.  153 

and  blossoms,  and  bright-plumaged  birds  sang 
melodiously  among  the  branches. 

Not  one  of  the  delicious  fruits,  however, 
could  Wassa  reach.  The  prince  picked  them 
at  his  pleasure,  and  ate  of  them  with  great 
relish,  but  the  instant  Wassa  attempted  to 
touch  one,  it  vanished  like  magic  from  her 
hand. 

For  a  while  the  prince  entertained  himself 
with  the  gay  birds,  and  climbed  at  will  over 
the  lower  branches  of  the  trees,  but,  as  in  the 
cave  of  the  fishes,  he  would  not  allow  Wassa 
to  touch  him.  Often  she  thought  him  about 
to  fall  headlong  from  a  branch,  but  he  screamed 
loudly  if  she  attempted  to  put  her  hand  on  him, 
and  always  recovered  himself  in  time  to  pre 
vent  a  fall. 

Wassa  was  now  so  weary  that  she  could 
hardly  keep  her  head  erect,  and  she  endeavored 
to  persuade  her  wilful  charge  to  go  to  bed,  but 
he  refused  with  loud  cries. 


"  No,  to  the  sea  I'll  go,  I  say, 
With  mermaids  there  I  wish  to  play," 

cried  the  unreasonable  prince. 


154      THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

"  It  is  too  late  to  go  to  the  sea  to-night," 
replied  Wassa.  "  Go  to  bed  now,  sweet  prince, 
and  in  the  morning  I  will  take  thee  to  the  sea." 

The  prince,  however,  insisted  that  he  should 
not  go  to  bed  until  he  had  been  to  the  sea  and 
played  with  the  mermaids. 

"  But  I  do  not  know  the  way  to  the  sea," 
replied  Wassa  ;  "  it  must  be  very  far." 

"The  brook  goes  to  the  sea,  they  say. 
My  royal  pa  thou  must  obey," 

answered  the  naughty  little  prince. 

"And  must  we  follow  the  brook  all  that  dis 
tance?"  asked  Wassa. 

"  The  fairy  of  the  brook  will  know 
How  to  the  mermaids  we  must  go," 

replied  the  prince. 

"  But  I  do  not  know  where  to  find  the  fairy 
of  the  brook,"  said  Wassa,  who  had  learned  to 
believe  most  fully  in  fairies. 

The  prince  bent  over  the  brook  that  flowed 
quietly  at  their  feet,  and  said :  — 

"  Fairy  of  this  stream  so  fair, 
Wilt  thou  kindly  tell  me  where, 
How  far  distant  it  may  be 
To  the  waters  of  the  sea?  " 


WASSA    RETURNS    TO    FAIRYLAND. 


155 


A  veil  of  mist  arose  on  the  stream,  and  was 
wafted  toward  the  fairy  prince,  until  the  deli 
cate  form  of  a  fairy  appeared  within,  and  a  low 
voice  spoke  thus  :  — 


"  Too  long  the  way,  too  short 
the  night, 

Tis  best  to  wait  till  morn 
ing's  light. 

Then  come  to  me  and  I 
will  say 

A  spell  to  send  thee  on  thy 
way." 

With  these  words  the 
fairy  of  the  brook  grad 
ually  resolved  into  mist 
and  floated  down  the 
stream. 

"  No  !  "    bawled   the   prince, 

with  all  his  might, 
"I'll   go,    I  say,   this    very 
night." 


"Thou  canst  not  go,"  said  Wassa.  "The 
fairy  of  the  brook  said  it  was  too  late  and  too 
far  to  go  there  to-night.  So  come  back  with 


156      THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

me  like  a  good  little  prince,  and   I  will  take 
thee  to  the  sea  early  in  the  morning." 

"  No  !"  screamed  the  prince,  "I  will  go  now, 
I'll  make  the  fairy  tell  me  how  !  " 

Then  the  perverse  little  prince  threw  him 
self  on  the  ground  and  renewed  his  screaming, 
until  Wassa,  finding  entreaties  of  no  avail,  al 
lowed  him  to  scream  and  kick  until  he  stopped 
from  sheer  exhaustion,  when  he  fell  fast  asleep. 
Then  Wassa  picked  him  up,  carried  him  home, 
and  put  him  to  bed ;  then,  thoroughly  weary 
herself,  she  was  soon  sleeping  as  soundly  as 
her  exacting  charge. 


THE    FAIRY    PRINCE    AND    THE    MERMAIDS.     157 


CHAPTER    XII. 

THE    FAIRY    PRINCE    AND   THE    MERMAIDS. 

If  Wassa  had  hoped  that  his  night's  sleep 
would  cause  the  fairy  prince  to  forget  his  pur 
pose  of  visiting  the  mermaids,  she  was  greatly 
mistaken,  for  as  soon  as  his  eyes  opened  the 
next  morning  he  called  loudly  :  — 

"  O  nurse,  wake  up  !     In  yonder  sea 
Those  pretty  mermaids  wait  for  me." 

"  It  is  very  early  to  start,"  pleaded  Wassa, 
who  had  not  slept  half  long  enough,  "and 
thou  hast  not  had  thy  breakfast  yet." 

"  I  don't  want  anything  to  eat," 
He  cried,  and  stamped  with  both  his  feet. 
"  If  thou  art  cross  and  bad  to  me, 
I'll  send  for  pa,  as  thou  wilt  see." 

Wassa  knew  that  King  Rondo  could  not  be 
far  off,  and,  remembering  his  command  that 
she  was  to  allow  the  fairy  prince  to  have  his 
own  way  in  all  things,  there  was  nothing  to  be 


158      THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

done  but  to  allow  the  wilful  prince  to  do  as  he 
wished,  so,  with  a  sigh  of  despair,  she  took  him 
up  and  carried  him  to  the  spot  where  the 
night  before  the  fairy  of  the  brook  had  ap 
peared  to  them. 

Once  more  the  prince  repeated  these 
lines :  — 

"  Fairy  of  the  stream  so  fair, 
Wilt  thou  kindly  tell  me  where, 
How  far  distant  it  may  be 
To  the  waters  of  the  sea?" 

As  before,  the  column  of  mist  appeared  in 
the  distance  and  floated  on  the  stream  until  it 
reached  the  prince,  and  the  fairy  of  the  brook 
from  within  the  mist  answered:  — 

"  Seldom  is  it,  prince,  that  we 
Grant  that  mortals  mermaids  see. 
A  wilful  child  must  have  its  way, 
And  we  cannot  say  thee  nay. 
But  this  mark  well :   let  not  a  word 
Or  cry,  while  on  the  way,  be  heard. 
If  thou  shouldst  speak  or  cry,  all's  lost, 
And  from  the  bark  wouldst  thou  be  tossed." 

With  these  words,  the  form  of  the  fairy  of 
the  brook  was  once  more  veiled  in  mist  and 
receded  down  the  stream. 


THE    FAIRY    PRINCE    AND    THE    M  KRM  AI I  >>.     159 

No  sooner  did  the  mist  disappear  than  from 
the  same  spot  where  it  vanished  appeared  a 
fairy  boat  that  sailed  rapidly  toward  the  prince 


and  Wassa.  The  sail,  which  was  spread 
wide,  was  made  of  butterflies'  wings,  and  the 
brilliant  light  of  Fairyland  falling  on  them 


l6o      THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

caused  them  to  shine  with  rainbow  hues.  The 
shrouds  were  of  the  finest  cobwebs,  and  the 
airy  craft  floated  on  the  water  like  thistle  down. 

Silently  the  prince  and  Wassa  stepped 
aboard  the  magic  boat,  and  it  bore  them  down 
the  stream.  After  a  while  the  stream  grew 
broader  and  broader,  and  light  waves  rippled 
its  surface,  but  the  fairy  bark  glided  lightly 
over  them  without  any  perceptible  motion. 
Rapids,  too,  there  were,  down  which  the  bark 
shot  with  hardly  a  tremor  of  its  frail  sides,  and 
as  they  proceeded,  a  light,  fresh  breeze,  fra 
grant  with  sea  odors,  was  wafted  toward  them. 

All  this  time  the  fairy  prince  had  been  quite 
silent,  sitting  with  one  hand  hanging  over 
the  boat's  side  and  dangling  in  the  cool  water; 
but  before  long  the  desire  to  dip  both  hands 
in  seized  the  wilful  prince,  and  he  suddenly 
plunged  the  other  hand  in. 

Thinking  her  venturesome  charge  would 
lose  his  balance  and  fall  headlong  into  the 
water,  Wassa  suddenly  seized  him,  and  tried  to 
draw  him  back,  but  with  an  angry  scream  the 
prince  exclaimed:  — 

"  Put  both  hands  in  I  must  and  will, 
Naughty  Wassa,  so  keep  still !  " 


THE    FAIRY    !'RI\(  K    AND    Till-     M I  k\!  AI I  >S.     l6l 

No  sooner  were  these  words  spoken  than 
the  fairy  prince  and  Wassa  found  themselves 
on  the  bank  of  the  stream,  and  the  fairy  bark 
nowhere  to  be  seen. 

"  Now  thou  see'st,"  said  Wassa,  "  what  comes 
of  thy  naughtiness.  Thou  hast  disobeyed  the 
fairy. of  the  brook,  and  thou  canst  not  go  to 
the  sea." 

"  I  must  and  will  go  to  the  sea  ! 
So  take  me  up  and  carry  me  !" 

cried  the  naughty  little  prince. 

Thus  ordered,  Wassa  took  up  her  wilful 
charge  and  walked  along  the  brook  side  until 
her  feet  were  very  weary.  At  last  they  came 
in  sight  of  the  ocean,  and  as  the  fresh  air  fanned 
her  cheeks,  Wassa  felt  her  courage  revive,  and 
hastened  her  steps. 

"Now,"  said  Wassa  as  she  stood  on  the 
shore  and  set  the  prince  on  the  shining  sand, 
44  what  are  we  to  do  next  ?  There  are  no  mer 
maids  here." 

"  Far  out  at  sea  the  mermaids  stay, 
And  there  they  sport  the  livelong  day," 

replied  the  prince. 

"One    thing    is    certain,    we    cannot    go    to 


1 62      THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF   THE    BLUE    HILL. 

them,"  said  Wassa,  "  so  thou  must  content  thy 
self  to  play  in  this  shining  sand." 


The  fairy  prince,  however,  had  no  intention 
of  abandoning  his  project  of  visiting  the  mer~ 


THE    FAIRY    PRINCE    AND    THE    MERMAIDS.     163 

maids,  and  looking  far  out  into  the  ocean,  he 
murmured :  — 

"  Monarch  of  the  ocean  wide 
And  all  that  dwell  within  its  tide, 
Wilt  thou  kindly  take  us  where 
In  its  depths  sport  mermaids  fair?" 

The  ocean  became  agitated,  and  small,  white- 
capped  waves  broke  against  the  sandy  beach, 
and  from  the  depths  of  the  ocean  a  tiny  figure 
appeared,  wearing  a  golden  crown  and  bearing 
in  its  hand  a  sceptre.  Its  garments  were  made 
of  shining  seaweed,  and  its  golden  crown  and 
sceptre  were  studded  with  precious  stones.  In 
a  voice  that  sounded  like  waves  gently  break 
ing  on  the  shore,  the  monarch  of  the  sea 
murmured:  — 

"  Prince,  the  boon  thou  ask'st  of  me 
Shall  ere  long  be  granted  thee ; 
But  this  thing  know  —  if  any  word 
Of  rage  or  spite  from  thee  is  heard, 
Where'er  thou  art,  there  shalt  thou  stay, 
Thou  shalt  not  return  this  way." 

With  these  words  the  monarch  of  the  sea 
vanished  beneath  the  waves,  and  the  waters 


164      THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

became  quiet  as  before.  Ere  long  a  gleaming 
object  in  the  distance  was  seen  approaching, 
and  as  it  came  nearer  it  proved  to  be  a  fairy 
nautilus. 

The  nautilus  glided  up  to  the  shore,  and  the 
two  wanderers  stepped  within.  Away  glided 
the  fairy  craft  toward  the  deep  sea,  leaving  the 
shore  farther  and  farther  behind  until  it  was 
no  longer  visible.  No  other  craft  was  in 
sight,  and  the  only  living  creatures  to  be  seen 
were  the  sea-birds  that  occasionally  dipped 
their  long  beaks  into  the  water  in  search  of 
prey,  and  the  fishes  that  sometimes  swam  to 
the  surface. 

As  the  nautilus  sailed  farther  out  to  sea, 
huge  whales  spouted  about  them,  covering 
them  with  foam,  and  fierce-looking  sharks 
darted  by. 

All  these  things  the  prince  noted,  as  they 
sailed  rapidly  along,  leaning  over  the  side  of 
the  light  bark;  but  as  Wassa  caught  sight  of 
an  immense  shark  that  followed  in  their  wake, 
its  cruel  eyes  fastened  on  the  nautilus,  she 
suddenly  reached  forward  and  drew  the  fairy 
prince  farther  back.  With  a  cry  of  anger  the 
prince  exclaimed :  — 


THE    FAIRY    PRINCE    AM)    HIE    MERMAIDS.     165 

"  Let  go,  I  say,  and  let  me  be  ! 
The  pretty  fishes  I  want  to  see  !  " 

Instantly  the  nautilus  changed  its  course, 
and  Wassa  and  the  fairy  prince  found  them 
selves  on  a  small  island  in  the  midst  of  the 
ocean. 

"  Now  see  what  thy  naughtiness  has  again 
brought  upon  us !  "  exclaimed  Wassa  angrily. 
44  Here,  on  this  desert  island,  must  we  stay  for 
ever,  just  as  the  sea-monarch  said." 

"What  do  I  care  if  here  we  stay? 
With  pretty  mermaids  I  shall  play," 

cried  the  spoiled  child,  and,  stooping,  he  began 
to  dabble  in  the  clear  water  that  rippled  against 
the  rocky  edge  of  the  island. 

"  There  are  no  mermaids  here,"  answered 
Wassa  in  a  cross  tone,  "  and  I  have  heard 
enough  of  mermaids.  Thy  wilfulness  has 
brought  about  a  fine  state  of  affairs!"  and  tears 
of  vexation  stood  in  her  eyes. 

"  The  mermaids  come,  I  told  thee  so ; 
With  them  to  play  I  mean  to  go," 

cried  the  prince  gleefully,  pointing  to  the  dis 
tant  ocean. 


1 66       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

"  Those  are  not  mermaids,"  said  Wassa ;  "  it 
is  but  a  school  of  dolphins.  Besides,  there  are 
no  such  beings  as  mermaids,  and  it  is  very 
foolish  for  thee  to  persist  in  believing  in  them." 

Wassa  was  not  mistaken,  for  a  large  school 
of  dolphins  was  approaching,  and  Wassa 
watched  them  with  great  interest,  for  they 
were  evidently  making  directly  for  the  island. 
Rolling  and  pitching  about  as  they  swam,  the 
water  foamed  and  surged  about  them,  and 
sometimes  they  disappeared  altogether  beneath 
the  surface,  coming  up  each  time  much  nearer 
to  the  island. 

"  Dost  thou  not  see  the  shining  hair 
And  golden  combs  of  mermaids  fair?" 

cried  the  prince. 

Wrassa  was  thunderstruck  to  see  a  beautiful 
maiden  seated  on  the  back  of  each,  as  the 
dolphins  came  nearer.  In  one  hand  each 
held  a  mirror,  the  frame  of  which  gleamed 
with  gems  and  precious  ore,  and  in  the  other 
hand  a  golden  comb,  with  which  she  combed 
her  shining  tresses,  which  shone  like  the 
brilliant  green  seaweed  that  floats  on  the  sur 
face  of  the  ocean. 


THE    FAIRY    PRINCE    AND    THE    MERMAIDS.     l6j 

As  the  dolphins  approached  nearer  to  the 
island  they  disappeared  beneath  the  surface  of 
the  water  once  more,  and  rose  just  at  the  feet 
of  the  fairy  prince,  the  water  falling  in  drops 
from  the  beautiful  mermaidens  like  myriads  of 
diamonds. 


So  engaged  in  watching  the  mermaids  was 
Wassa,  that  for  the  moment  she  forgot  her 
charge,  until  she  saw  him  suddenly  leap  far 
into  the  water,  and  spring  upon  the  back  of  a 
dolphin. 

UO     prince,    come     back    to    me!"    cried 


1 68       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

Wassa.  "  Thou  canst  not  trust  the  mermaids. 
Oh  !  what  will  King  Rondo  say  to  me  ?  "  and 
she  rung  her  hands  in  desperation. 

The  wilful  prince,  however,  paid  no  atten 
tion  to  Wassa's  entreaties,  but  sat  his  dolphin 
as  if  he  had  passed  his  life  on  its  back,  and  the 
mermaidens  smiled  sweetly  on  him  as  they 
combed  their  shining  locks. 

"  Perhaps,"  thought  Wassa,  as  she  saw  the 
fairy  prince  so  unconcerned,  "  he  has  done  this 
thing  before,  and  when  he  becomes  tired  of  the 
sport  he  will  come  back  of  his  own  accord. 
One  thing  is  certain :  the  more  I  entreat  him 
to  return,  the  longer  he  will  stay  away,  he  is 
so  perverse." 

With  this  thought  Wassa  comforted  herself, 
and  watched  the  school  of  dolphins  rolling 
about  in  the  foaming  water;  but  all  at  once 
they  disappeared  beneath  the  surface,  and 
Wassa  gave  a  scream  of  horror. 

Almost  before  the  last  echo  of  the  scream 
had  died  away,  however,  they  all  reappeared  in 
the  distance,  the  fairy  prince  seated  on  the 
dolphin  as  securely  as  ever. 

"  O  prince,"  cried  Wassa  imploringly,  "  do 
not  go  so  far,  I  pray  thee.  What  will  the  king 


THE    FAIRY    PRINCE    AND    THE    MERMAIDS.     169 

say  to  me  if  anything  should  happen  to  thee? 
Do  come  back." 

"  I'll  not  come  back.     Ta-ta,  ta-ta  ! 
Give  my  love  to  my  royal  pa  ! " 

called  out  the  naughty  little  prince,  waving  his 
hand  in  adieu  to  Wassa  as  the  dolphins  steered 
for  the  open  sea. 

Wassa,  in  her  distress,  ran  distractedly  up 
and  down,  wringing  her  hands  and  moaning. 

"  What  will  the  king  say  to  me  ?  The  least 
he  can  do  will  be  to  chop  my  head  off ! "  cried 
poor  Wassa.  "Oh!  what  shall  I  do?  Oh!  if 
somebody  would  only  tell  me  what  I  am  to  do ! " 

"  The  mid-day  moon  beneath  the  sea 
Shines  in  the  realms  of  mermaids  free," 

chanted  a  voice  that  sounded  like  a  gentle 
breeze  blowing  through  a  grove  of  pines. 

"  But  I  have  no  idea  where  the  mermaids 
live,  or  how  to  reach  the  land,"  answered  Wassa 
sadly. 

Again  the  voice  repeated  :  — 

"  The  mid-day  moon  beneath  the  sea 
Shines  in  the  realms  of  mermaids  free." 

"  I  never  heard  of  a  mid-day  moon,"  said 
poor  \Vassa,  "but  I  don't  know  why  there 


I7O       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF   THE    BLUE    HILL. 

shouldn't  be  one  as  well  as  a  midnight  sun. 
I  am  ready  to  believe  anything  now,  since  I 
have  seen  real  giants  and  fairies  and  mermaids, 
and  if  I  can  find  my  way  to  the  land  of  the 
mid-day  moon  I'll  go  there,  for  anything  is 
better  than  staying  here  alone  on  this  desert 
island." 

As  Wassa  finished  speaking,  her  attention 
was  caught  by  a  large  piece  of  kelp  that  floated 
to  her  feet  and  stopped.  The  leaf  was  broad 
with  curling  edges,  and  it  floated  on  the  water 
like  a  raft. 

"  If  here  them  dost  not  wish  to  stay, 
Accept  this  from  the  man  in  gray," 

chanted  the  same  voice  Wassa  had  heard  before. 

"Anything  is  better  than  staying  in  this 
lonely  island,  and  I'll  try  the  seaweed,"  cried 
Wassa  as  she  joyfully  leaped  upon  the  broad 
kelp. 

No  sooner  was  Wassa  seated  than  the  kelp 
left  the  island,  and  glided  rapidly  out  to  sea. 

"  After  all,"  thought  Wassa,  "  the  little  man 
in  gray  was  not  so  bad,  although  he  did  send 
me  to  Fairyland  to  take  care  of  that  spoiled 
fairy  prince." 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  MID-DAY  MOON 


CHAPTER    XIII, 


The  huge  kelp  glided  over  the  waves  so 
smoothly  that  VVassa  was  hardly  sensible  of 
any  motion.  For  a  time  the  stillness  and  the 
soft  sea-breezes  were  very  soothing  to  her,  and 
she  appreciated  the  rest  after  the  care  of  her 
troublesome  charge ;  but  gradually  Wassa's 
thoughts  reverted  to  home,  and  she  realized  for 
the  first  time  the  anxiety  her  absence  must 
cause  her  family. 

In  imagination  the  forlorn  little  maid  beheld 
her  brother  and  sisters  roaming  through  the 
woods  in  search  of  her,  and  her  mother  at 
home  anxiously  awaiting  their  return,  and  then 
came  the  thought  of  her  mother's  grief  when 
they  brought  back  no  news. 


172       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

"  Oh  !  I  must  go  back,"  cried  Wassa  in  des 
peration  ;  "  pray  take  me  home  again." 

No  sooner  was  this  wish  uttered  than  the 
well-known  voice  answered:  — 

"  By  fairy  spells  here  art  thou  bound. 
Thy  wilful  charge  must  first  be  found. 
In  Fairyland  thou  needs  must  stay 
Till  set  free  by  the  man  in  gray. 
Be  patient,  maid,  thou  shalt  find  soon 
The  land  where  shines  the  mid-day  moon." 

"  There  is  nothing  for  me  to  do  but  to  wait 
until  the  little  man  in  gray  chooses  to  let  me 
go,"  thought  Wassa  desparingly,  "  but  if  I  have 
to  stay  here  much  longer  I  will  devise  some 
means  of  escape." 

No  sooner  was  this  thought  formed  than 
the  voice  answered  :  — 

"  My  child,  thou'lt  learn  that  no  one  can 
Succeed  without  the  little  gray  man." 

So  Wassa  found  that  it  was  useless  to  lay 
plans  for  the  future,  and  that  the  first  thing  to 
be  done  was  to  find  the  fairy  prince  as  speedily 
as  possible. 

The  kelp  meanwhile  continued  its  course, 
and  after  a  time  Wassa's  eyes  fell  on  a  white 


THE    LAND    OK   THE    MID-DAY    MOON. 


73 


object  that  glistened  like  snow  in  the  distance. 
As  she  approached,  it  took  a  distinct  form,  and 
she  beheld  a  beautiful  palace  of  the  purest 
crystal,  that  shone  with  the  white  light  that 
moonlight  alone  gives.  Soft  as  the  radiance 
was,  it  was  as  light  as  the  most  brilliant  sun 
light. 


The  kelp  glided  under  the  lofty  arch  that 
formed  the  entrance  to  the  temple,  and  stopped 
before  a  flight  of  white  marble  steps  that 
stretched  downward  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach. 

Without  hesitation  Wassa  alighted  from  the 
kelp,  and  it  floated  away  again,  and  soon 


174      THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF   THE    BLUE    HILL. 

passed  out  of  sight.  There  was  but  one  way 
to  go,  and  Wassa  took  it.  Down  and  down 
she  went,  the  stairs  seeming  endless,  but  finally 
they  ceased,  and  Wassa  found  herself  in  a  long 
and  lofty  hall. 

Crystal  pillars  on  each  side  met  overhead 
and  formed  shining  arches  that  stretched  away 
in  the  distance  as  far  as  Wassa  could  see. 
Columns  of  beautiful  pink  and  white  coral  and 
delicate  amber  were  interspersed  with  the 
crystal  arches,  and  over  all  shone  the  light  of 
the  mid-day  moon. 

Wassa  knew  she  had  now  reached  the  land 
of  the  Mid-Day  Moon,  but  where  were  the 
mermaidens  and  where  the  fairy  prince? 

"  To  reach  the  spot  where  mermaids  play, 
Sift  the  gold  from  the  sand  away. 
Work  with  a  will,  and  thou  shalt  soon 
See  the  land  of  the  Mid-Day  Moon," 

chanted  the  well-known  voice. 

Wassa  now  noticed  that  the  sand  under  her 
feet  sparkled  with  grains  of  gold,  but  how 
could  she  accomplish  such  an  unheard-of  task  ? 

"  It  is  of  no  use  to  try,"  thought  Wassa,  "  I 
can  never  do  it." 


THE    LAND    OF    THE    MID-DAY    MOON.          I  75 

"  With  patience  great,  from  grains  of  sand 
Was  made  the  great  and  mighty  land. 
Shouldst  thou  refuse,  here  must  thou  stay, 
So  says  the  little  man  in  gray." 

\Vassa  pondered  over  these  words  spoken  by 
the  unknown  voice.  It  was  evident  that  the 
powerful  little  gray  man  had  made  up  his  mind 
that  she  should  find  the  fairy  prince,  and  she 
had  already  learned  that  it  was  useless  to  resist 
the  powers  in  Fairyland  ;  so  she  at  once  began 
to  pick  out  the  little  specks  of  gold  and  lay 
them  in  a  pile. 

The  task  was  a  tedious  one,  but,  as  the 
golden  pile  grew,  Wassa's  courage  grew  in 
proportion,  and  before  long  the  task  was 
ended. 

Then  Wassa  walked  under  the  lofty  arches, 
until  she  came  to  a  clear  lake,  and  beyond  it 
the  arches  still  stretched.  In  the  far  distance 
was  dimly  seen  an  ocean,  whose  waters  glis 
tened  in  the  beams  of  the  mid-day  moon,  and 
shone  like  emeralds. 

"  The  mermaids  must  be  there,"  thought 
Wassa,  "but  how  am  I  to  cross  this  lake?'* 

"  Dost  thou  not  see  the  flowers  that  bloom 
In  the  soft  light  of  the  mid-day  moon? 


176       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

All  limp  are  they  for  want  of  rain, 

But  thou  canst  make  them  fresh  again. 

To  freshen  them,  if  thou  wilt  take 

The  water  of  the  Crystal  Lake, 

Once  more  will  they  bloom  bright  and  gay, 

And  thou  mayst  go  upon  thy  way." 

Wassa  looked  about  her,  and  perceived,  for 
the  first  time,  that  flowers  grew  on  either  side 
of  the  path,  but  the  stalks  were  withered,  and 
the  blossoms  dingy  and  shrivelled. 

"  Am  I  expected  to  dip  up  all  the  water  from 
that  lake?"  said  Wassa  indignantly;  "I  can 
never  do  it." 

The  unknown  voice  answered  :  — 

"  Drop  by  drop,  from  mist  and  dew 
Are  fed  the  lakes  and  ocean  blue. 
Here  must  thou  stay  till  it  is  done, 
For  thou  canst  not  go  back  alone." 

"  It  is  useless  for  me  to  resist,"  said  Wassa 
with  a  sigh.  "  It  is  true  I  cannot  go  back 
alone,  so  I  must  go  on." 

As  soon  as  these  words  were  spoken,  a  cup 
of  gold  fell  at  Wassa's  feet,  and,  picking  it  up, 
she  filled  it  at  the  lake.  The  instant  the  rim 
touched  the  water,  she  knew  it  was  a  fairy  cup, 
for,  small  as  it  was,  so  much  water  ran  into  it 


THE    LAND    OF    THE    MID-DAY    MOoN. 


'77 


that  by  the  time  it  was  full,  the  waters  of  the 
lake  had  receded  perceptibly. 

Thus  encouraged,  Wassa  worked  diligently, 
filling  her  cup  and  watering  the  plants.  As 
the  first  drop  touched  the  leaves,  each  plant 
received  new  life,  the  withered  stalks  became 
once  more  green  and  fresh,  and  the  drooping 

flowers  bloomed  in 
gay  colors. 

So  interested  did 
Wassa  become  in 
;\,      restoring  the  wilted 
f         plants  to  life,  that 
before  she  knew  it 
the   lake   had  dis 
appeared,  and  the  path 
was  lined  with  the  gay 
flowers    that    bloom    only    in 
Fairyland. 

Once  more  Wassa  proceeded 
on  her  way  to  the  ocean,  that  appeared  to  lie 
as  far  away  as  ever,  and  in  the  course  of  her 
wanderings  she  came  upon  a  grove  of  trees 
laden  with  the  most  delicious  fruits.  Tired 
and  thirsty  as  she  was,  this  was  a  tempting 
sight  to  Wassa,  and  she  sprang  joyfully  for- 


178       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

ward  to  seize  a  luscious  plum,  from  which  the 
rich  juice  was  oozing  in  its  ripeness  ;  but  as  she 
was  about  to  close  her  fingers  on  the  tempting 
fruit,  the  branches  on  which  it  grew  sprang 
out  of  reach,  and  a  sharp  pain  in  her  foot 
caused  her  to  cry  out. 

Then  Wassa  discovered  that  the  ground 
beneath  the  trees  was  covered  with  brambles, 
and  a  sharp  thorn  from  one  of  them  had  pierced 
her  foot.  At  that  moment  the  unknown  voice 
said :  — 

"  My  little  maid,  dost  thou  not  know 

'Tis  Fairyland  where  these  fruits  grow, 

And  that  of  them  thou  canst  not  eat? 

But  clear  the  brambles  at  thy  feet, 

And  then  thy  path  it  will  be  clear. 

The  mermaids'  home  is  very  near." 

"  I  cannot  clear  away  all  these  prickly 
brambles,"  cried  Wassa  as  she  sank  down 
despairingly.  "  The  mermaids  are  as  far 
away  as  when  I  first  started,  and  I  shall  not 
go  a  step  farther." 

The  voice  answered  :  — 
"  It  is  but  a  few  steps  more, 
When  thou'lt  safely  reach  the  shore 
Where  the  lovely  mermaids  stay, 
With  them  the  fairy  prince  at  play." 


THE    LAND    <  >F     HIM    MID-DAY    M<  ><  )N.  I  79 

"  If  it  is  really  true  that  I  am  so  near  them 
as  that,  I  may  as  well  go  on,  for  I  can  never 
go  back  without  the  prince,"  said  Wassa,  and 
she  set  to  work  vigorously  at  this  new  task. 

The  brambles,  too,  Wassa  discovered  were 
fairy  brambles,  for  the  instant  she  made  up 
her  mind  to  undertake  the  task,  not  a  thorn 
pricked  her,  and  in  a  short  time  the  ground 
was  clear. 

As  Wassa  rose  to  her  feet  after  her  labor 
was  over,  a  fine  ripe  peach  hung  before  her 
very  mouth,  and  she  could  not  resist  the 
temptation  of  reaching  out  her  hand  for  it. 
She  expected  to  see  the  branch  spring  out  of 
reach,  but  to  her  surprise  the  peach  fell  into 
her  hand,  and  she  put  her  lips  to  the  juicy  fruit. 

Never  in  her  whole  life  had  Wassa  tasted 
anything  so  delicious,  and  as  she  went  on  her 
way  she  gathered  many  more.  When  she 
emerged  from  the  grove,  she  found  herself  on 
the  shore  of  the  beautiful  green  sea  she  had 
seen  in  the  distance,  and  above  it  stood  the 
full,  round  mid-day  moon.  A  murmur  of  rip 
pling  wrater  fell  on  her  ears,  and  riding  on  the 
white-capped  waves  were  the  mermaids  and 
the  fairy  prince. 


l8o       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

"  Prince  ! "  cried  Wassa  joyfully,  "  dear 
prince !  At  last  I  have  found  thee  again ! 
Come  back  at  once  to  the  palace.  The  king 
will  be  alarmed  at  thy  long  delay." 

The  prince,  however,  did  not  reply,  but  con 
tinued  his  sport,  and  Wassa  renewed  her  en 
treaties. 

"Do  come  back,"  she  cried.  "  If  thou  couldst 
know  what  I  have  undergone  to  find  thee,  I  am 
sure  thou  wouldst  not  refuse  me." 

"  No,  no  I  I  will  not  go,  I  say ; 
With  pretty  mermaids  I  will  stay. 
Through  the  green  sea  I  like  to  glide, 
And  on  the  white-capped  waves  I  ride." 

At  this  reply  poor  Wassa  was  in  despair. 
Meanwhile  the  mermaidens  floated  on  the 
water,  weaving  pearls  and  shining  sea-grass  in 
their  beautiful  hair,  and  gazing  at  the  charm 
ing  pictures  reflected  in  their  mirrors.  They 
looked  so  smiling  and  happy  that  Wassa 
found  courage  to  appeal  to  them. 

"  O  beautiful  mermaidens,"  she  cried,  ex 
tending  her  hands  imploringly,  "  take  pity  on 
me.  All  this  dreary  way  have  I  come  to  find 
this  wilful  prince,  and  hard  tasks  have  I  under 
taken  in  order  to  find  him.  Now  he  refuses  to 


THE    LAM)    OF    THE    MID-I»AV    MOON.          l8l 

go  back  with  me,  and  how  can  I  face  King 
Rondo  without  him  ?  Pray  take  pity  on  me, 
beautiful  mermaidens,  and  persuade  him  to 
return  with  me." 

The  mermaids  ceased  to  adorn  their  tresses, 
and  gazed  at  Wassa  for  the  first  time.  Her 
face  was  worn  and  weary  and  tear-stained,  and 
the  first  approach  to  compassion  they  had  ever 
felt,  came  into  their  cold  hearts. 

All  at  once  a  gentle  melody  rose  on  the  air, 
that  kept  time  to  the  waves  rippling  against 
the  shore,  and  as  Wassa  listened,  all  sense  o£ 
her  trials  left  her,  and  weariness  vanished. 

As  the  mermaids  sang,  the  naughty  little 
prince  seemed  to  lose  his  desire  to  sport,  and 
iloated  passively  on  the  waves.  Soon  his 
bright  eyes  grew  dreamy,  and  the  lids  closed, 
then  opened,  then  closed  again,  and  as  the 
song  ceased  they  opened  no  more,  and  the 
little  fairy  prince  was  in  the  land  of  dreams. 

Carefully  the  mermaids  placed  the  sleeping 
prince  in  Wassa's  arms,  and  she  bore  him 
away.  Through  the  long  and  lofty  arches 
Wassa  carried  her  sleeping  charge,  through 
the  fruit  grove,  and  along  the  path  bordered 
by  the  gayly  blooming  flowers,  until  she  reached 


1 82       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

the  long  flight  of  marble  steps  that  led  up 
from  the  land  of  the  Mid-Day  Moon. 

Long  and  tedious  had  the  way  down  the 
marble  staircase  seemed  to  Wassa,  but  before 
she  had  thought  herself  to  be  half  way  up,  she 
found  herself  standing  in  the  portal  of  the 
crystal  palace,  and  at  her  feet  the  fairy  kelp. 
Quickly  seating  herself  in  the  fairy  craft,  it 
put  itself  in  motion,  and  continued  its  course 
until  it  reached  the  outlet  of  the  brook. 

Then,  holding  the  fairy  prince  with  great 
care  lest  he  should  awake  and  refuse  to  be 
taken  home,  Wassa  stepped  ashore,  and  the 
fairy  kelp  glided  out  to  sea. 

Wassa  had  tliought  to  walk  the  remainder 
of  the  way,  but  there  was  the  fairy  boat  with 
the  butterfly  sails  awaiting  them,  and  entering  it, 
it  sailed  rapidly  up  the  stream  until  it  reached 
the  spot  where  it  had  first  appeared.  Wfassa 
stepped  ashore  once  more,  and  the  fairy  boat 
glided  down  the  stream  and  was  soon  out  of  sight. 

Then,  carrying  her  still  sleeping  charge  in 
her  arms,  Wassa  reached  the  palace,  and  laid 
him  in  his  bed.  A  minute  more  and  Was- 
sa's  hard  experiences  of  the  day  were  forgotten 
.in  a  sound  and  dreamless  sleep. 


THE    FAIRY    PRINCE    AND    \VASSA. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE    FAIRY    PRINCE    AND    WASSA. 

The  next  morning  Wassa  was  awakened  by 
the  voice  of  the  little  prince  calling  to  her:  — 

"  Wake  up,  wake  up,  my  nurse,  I  say  ! 
The  prairies  wild  I'll  see  to-day  ! 
In  the  tall  grass  I'll  lie  and  hide, 
And  buffaloes  I  mean  to  ride." 

"  No,  no,  prince,  lie  down  and  have  another 
nap  first,"  said  Wassa,  who  felt  she  had  not 
had  half  sleep  enough ;  but  the  persistent  prince 
was  not  to  be  put  off  so  easily,  and  clamored 
loudly  to  be  taken  at  once  to  the  prairies. 

"  The  prairies  are  so  far  away,"  argued 
Wassa,  "and  I  am  so  very  tired.  I  will  take 
thee  to  the  grotto  where  the  gold  fishes  are, 
and  thou  canst  play  with  them." 

At  this  proposition  the  naughty  little  prince 
stamped  his  feet  and  screamed  loudly  :  — 

"  No,  thou  bad  nurse,  I  tell  thee  no  ! 
I  do  not  wish  with  thee  to  go. 


184       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

The  prairie  lands  are  not  too  far ; 
Go,  or  I'll  scream  and  wake  my  pa  !  " 

Poor  Wassa  was  in  despair.  Another  such 
day  as  that  she  had  passed  in  Fairyland,  she 
felt  would  be  unendurable,  but  what  could  she 
do  ?  There  stood  the  wayward  prince,  stamp 
ing  and  screaming  and,  like  many  another 
child  not  of  royal  blood,  keeping  his  eyes  on 
his  victim  to  see  if  she  showed  any  signs  of 
relenting. 

"  I  will  not  give  in  to  this  spoiled  child," 
thought  Wassa ;  "  if  I  do,  there  will  be  no  end 
to  his  freaks,  and  he  may  take  it  into  his  head 
to  go  up  to  the  moon." 

The  shrewd  fairy  prince  fathomed  the  depths 
of  Wassa's  mind,  and  he  set  up  such  a  resound 
ing  cry,  that  in  a  few  moments  King  Rondo 
appeared,  looking  as  if  he  had  been  suddenly 
awakened  from  a  sound  sleep,  and  such  in  fact 
was  the  case. 

"  Hey  dey  !  hey  day  !  what's  all  this  din?  " 
Said  Rondo,  as  he  strode  within. 
"  What  is  it  now  ?     I  pray  thee  tell 
The  meaning  of  that  fearful  yell 
That  made  my  skin  like  goose-flesh  creep, 
And  roused  me  from  my  morning  sleep." 


THE    FAIRY    PRINCE    AND    \YASSA.  185 

"  Sire,"  answered  Wassa humbly,  "I  am  very 
sorry,  but  I  was  trying  to  persuade  the  prince 
to  give  up  his  project  of  going  to  the  prairies 
to-day." 

Here  the  prince  broke  in  vociferously  :  — 

"  To  prairies  I  will  go  to-day  ! 
Pa,  make  her  go  with  me,  I  say." 

Wassa's  heart  sank  within  her  as  the  king 
replied  :  — 

"  Thy  will  is  law,  and  shall  be  done ; 
Truly  thou  shalt  go,  my  son. 
And  now  to  sleep  once  more  I'll  try. 
Don't  let  me  hear  another  cry." 

As  the  king  left  the  apartment,  poor  \Ya»u 
sank  back  with  her  face  hidden  in  her  hands, 
and  gave  way  to  tears  of  disappointment  and 
vexation.  For  a  moment  the  prince  looked  at 
her  with  the  comical  expression  that  the  elf 
Toto  was  wont  to  wear,  then  cried  in  the  voice 
of  the  wayward  prince  :  — 

"  Wassa,  thou  wilt  have  to  go,  — 
My  pa  has  said  it  shall  be  so. 
If  not,  I'll  scream, —  my  pa  will  come, 
And  then  thou'lt  see  what  will  be  done." 


1 86      THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

"  I  know  what  ought  to  be  done,  and  what 
would  be  if  I  were  thy  pa,"  exclaimed  Wassa, 
beside  herself  with  vexation. 

Another  comical  look  of  the  elf  Toto 
twinkled  for  an  instant  in  the  fairy  prince's 
eye,  but  it  vanished  before  Wassa  caught  it, 
and  the  imperious  prince  opened  his  mouth  to 
utter  another  loud  cry,  when  Wassa  quickly 
caught  him  up  in  her  arms,  saying :  — 

"  Oh  !  do  hush,  and  I'll  take  thee  to  the 
world's  end,  thou  naughty  child." 

So  off  set  the  prince  and  Wassa  on  their 
expedition  to  the  prairies. 

For  a  time  the  road  lay  through  broad  fields 
covered  with  velvety  grass  and  bright  flowers, 
and  along  gently  running  brooks  ;  but  grad 
ually  the  scene  changed.  Instead  of  the  smooth 
fields,  forests  appeared,  and  the  brooks  no 
longer  flowed  peacefully,  but  rushed  tumultu- 
ously  onward,  foaming  and  gurgling  as  they 
went. 

Wassa,  carrying  her  charge,  soon  grew 
weary,  after  she  had  left  the  smooth  fields,  and 
her  tired  feet  stumbled  over  the  rough  stones 
and  uneven  ground. 

"  I  cannot  go  to   the   prairies  !  "  exclaimed 


THE    FAIRY    PRINCE    AND    WASSA,  1X7 

Wassa  as  she  bruised  her  foot  against  a  jagged 
stone  that  lay  in  the  path.  "  I  will  remain 
here,  and  thou  canst  play  in  this  foaming 
brook." 

But  the  wilful  prince  cried  :  — 

"  No,  no,  I  say,  I'll  not  stay  here ; 
I  wish  to  see  the  pretty  deer." 

"  I  shall  not  take  thee  to  see  them,"  replied 
Wassa  decidedly.  "  I  am  too  tired  to  carry 
thee  any  farther,"  and  she  sank  down  by  the 
brook  side. 

Seeing  this,  the  prince,  gazing  toward  the 
forest  that  lay  about  them  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach,  said  :  — 

"  Thou  pretty  deer  so  strong  and  fleet, 
Bear  us  on  with  nimble  feet. 
Through  these  forests  deep  now  hie, 
Seek  the  land  where  prairies  lie." 

No  sooner  were  these  words  spoken  than  a 
rustling  of  the  forest  branches  was  heard,  and 
a  beautiful  deer  with  head  erect  and  branching 
horns  sprang  from  out  the  forest,  and,  bounding 
toward  the  fairy  prince  and  Wassa,  dropped 
gracefully  on  his  knees  before  them,  and  bowed 
his  delicate  head  in  token  of  submission. 


1 88       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 


Without  a  word  the  prince  and  Wassa 
seated  themselves  on  the  beautiful  creature's 
back,  and  he  bounded  away  into  the  depths  of 
the  forest. 

As  swift  as  the  wind  moves,  the  fairy 
deer  bounded  over  foaming  brooks  and  rocks, 

and  through  the  tall 
underbrush  of  the 
forest,  that  parted  on 
either  side  as  he  sped 
onward. 

By  degrees    the 
wood    became    more 
dense,  the  trees  grew 
more    lofty,  and 
the    brooks    be 
came   broader 
and  rushed  more 


wildly  along, 
forming  cas 
cades  and  waterfalls  that  murmured  loudly  in 
the  silent  forest.  The  path,  too,  grew  rocky 
and  steep,  but  the  fairy  deer  flew  up  the  steep 
ascents  as  lightly  as  he  had  skimmed  over 
the  level  ground  of  the  forest. 

At  last  the  deer  came  to  a  standstill  before 


THE    FAIRY    PRINCE    AND    WASSA.  189 

a  range  of  mountains  that  rose  in  lofty  peaks 
before  the  travellers,  and  a  broad  river  flowed  at 
their  feet.  Gently  the  deer  once  more  knelt, 
and  his  riders  dismounted.  The  instant  they 
were  on  the  ground  the  deer  bounded  away 
again,  and  was  lost  to  view  in  the  thick  forest. 

"  Now,"  said  Wassa  as  she  looked  at  the 
broad  river  before  her  and  the  range  of  lofty 
mountains  beyond,  "what  will  happen  next? 
Shall  we  go  by  the  river,  or  shall  we  climb 
over  those  high  mountains?" 

The  fairy  prince  made  no  reply,  but  seemed 
intent  on  watching  a  large  eagle  that  was 
circling  over  one  of  the  highest  mountain 
peaks.  So  great  was  the  height  that  he  looked 
like  a  little  black  speck  against  the  sky.  The 
prince,  keeping  his  eye  on  the  bird,  recited 
these  lines:  — 

"Come  hither,  I  pray,  king  of  the  sky, 
Bear  us  over  these  mountains  high." 

The  black  speck  grew  larger  and  larger  as 
the  bird  seemed  to  drop  down  from  his  great 
height,  and  soon  the  form  of  an  immense  eagle 
was  distinctly  visible. 

The  huge  bird  descended  in  graceful  circles, 


THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

and  at  last    alighted  at  the  feet  of    the  fairy 
prince. 

The  large,  strong  wings,  the  fierce  bent  beak, 
and  the  piercing  eyes  of  the  eagle  filled  Wassa 
with  awe,  but  the  fairy  prince  jumped  lightly 
and  confidently  upon  his  back,  and  Wassa  took 
her  place  beside  him.  The  eagle  spread  his 
long  wings  and  soared  into  the  sky 


Higher  and  higher  flew  the  eagle,  but  so 
steadily  that  no  motion  was  perceptible,  and 
soon  the  forest  and  river  below  could  hardly  be 
discerned. 

Over  the  tall  mountains  flew  the  eagle,  and 
the  snow-clad  peaks  shone  white  and  cold 
beneath  them.  Occasionally  their  swift  flight 
started  a  bear  from  its  hidden  retreat,  and  he 


THK    1  AIRY    PRINCE    AND    WASSA. 

slunk  away  growling  defiance.  Large  snakes, 
too,  lying  on  sunny  slopes  trying  to  catch  the 
warming  rays  of  the  sun,  wriggled  into  their 
holes  as  their  dreaded  enemy,  the  eagle,  flew 
above  them. 

After  a  time  the  eagle  began  to  descend, 
and  flying  nearer  the  forests  and  rivers,  finally 
alighted. 

The  fairy  prince  and  Wassa  dismounted, 
and  the  eagle,  swiftly  soaring  once  more  high 
into  the  sky,  disappeared  from  their  view. 

Wassa  gazed  about  her.  She  knew  they 
must  have  reached  the  prairies,  for  level  land 
stretched  away  in  every  direction.  Tall, 
waving  grass  grew  at  their  feet,  and  not  a 
living  creature  was  in  sight  to  break  the 
silence. 

"  How  forlorn !  "  cried  Wassa  with  a  shud 
der.  "  Why  didst  thou  wish  to  come  here  ? 
Do  go  directly,  for  there  is  nothing  here  for 
thee  to  play  with." 

"  In  the  tall  grass  I'll  play  and  hide, 
And  buffaloes  I  mean  to  ride," 

replied  the  prince. 

"  But    there   are    no    buffaloes    here,"    said 


THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF   THE    BLUE    HILL. 

Wassa,  "  and  it  is  fortunate  for  us  that  there 
are  not.     Pray  call  the  eagle  to  take  us  back." 

"  O  buffalo  so  wild  and  free  ! 
I  pray  thee  come  and  play  with  me. 
We'll  roam  across  the  prairies  wide, 
And  in  the  waving  grasses  hide." 

No  sooner  were  these  words  spoken  by  the 
fairy  prince  than  the  trampling  of  feet  was 
heard,  and  a  herd  of  buffaloes  was  seen  rushing 
toward  the  prince  and  Wassa. 

Wassa  shuddered  with  fear  as  the  great 
creatures  with  their  huge  heads  and  strong 
horns  rushed  madly  onward  and  stopped  before 
the  prince.  They  tossed  their  heads  with  their 
thick  manes,  and  snorted  wildly,  pawing  the 
ground  with  their  strong  hoofs. 

The  prince,  however,  evinced  no  fear  of  the 
fierce  creatures,  and  stroked  their  great  heads, 
which  they  bent  down,  while  they  rubbed 
their  noses  affectionately  against  him. 

The  largest  and  fiercest  of  the  buffaloes,  the 
leader  of  the  herd,  kept  by  the  prince's  side, 
pushing  aside  the  heads  of  the  others,  that  he 
alone  might  receive  the  caresses  of  the  little 
prince.  The  remainder  of  the  herd  closed 


THE    FAIRY    PRINCE    AND    WASSA.  193 

around  the  prince,  until  he  was  hidden  from 
Wassa's  sight,  and  she  became  alarmed  lest 
their  great  feet  should  trample  him  to  death. 

"  Prince  !"  cried  Wassa,  "  do  come  away  from 
those  great  beasts  ;  they  will  surely  trample  thee 
to  death." 

Great  were  Wassa's  surprise  and  terror,  as 
the  herd  parted  for  an  instant,  to  see  the  little 
prince  seated  on  the  back  of  the  leader,  holding 
one  horn  lightly  with  his  little  hand,  and  his 
face  full  of  merriment. 

"  Come  back  !  "  cried  Wassa,  springing  to 
ward  the  herd,  as  they  began  to  move  off  in 
the  direction  whence  they  had  appeared;  "  thou 
wilt  be  lost.  Do  not  trust  to  those  wild  crea 
tures.  Oh  !  what  will  the  king  say  ?  " 

But  the  prince  rejoined,  laughing  merrily  :  - 

"They  are  not  wild  ;  with  them  I'll  go. 
Thou  know'st  my  royal  pa  said  so." 

As  the  prince  ceased,  the  buffaloes  tossed 
their  heads,  pawing  the  earth  as  they  snorted 
loudly ;  then,  with  lowered  heads,  they  set  off 
across  the  prairie  with  the  speed  of  the  wind. 
The  prince  waved  his  hand  joyously  as  he  was 
borne  away,  and  Wassa  was  left  alone  on  the 
wide  prairie. 


194       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

"What  shall  I  do?  What  shall  I  do?" 
moaned  Wassa,  wringing  her  hands  in  despair. 
"  I  cannot  go  back,  or  I  shall  die  in  this  hor 
rible  desert.  Oh  !  if  I  only  knew  where  the 
prince  has  gone  !  " 

A  voice  was  heard  to  say  :  — 

"  The  wilful  prince  has  gone  to  play 
In  the  land  of  the  Starlit  Day." 

"  But  I  never  heard  of  the  land  of  the  Star 
lit  Day,"  cried  Wassa.  "  How  can  I  find  it  ?  " 

"  Through  the  prairie  the  way  is  found. 
Go,  till  thou  reach  a  tiny  mound. 
Sentries  three  on  duty  stay, 
To  guard  the  land  of  the  Starlit  Day." 

Thus  chanted  the  voice  Wassa  had  heard 
before. 

"  I  shall  have  to  go  on,  I  suppose,"  said 
Wassa,  "  for  I  shall  die  of  fright  here  in  this 
wilderness." 

So  saying,  Wassa  started  in  search  of  the 
land  of  the  Starlit  Day. 

The  tall  prairie  grass  grew  all  about  her,  and 
she  pushed  her  way  resolutely  through  it.  On 
and  on  she  went  until  her  feet  were  weary,  and 


THE    FAIRY    PRINCE    AND   WASSA.  195 

an  intense  hunger  took  possession  of  her,  for  she 
had  eaten  nothing  but  fruit  since  her  sojourn 
in  Fairyland. 

Endless  seemed  the  tall  prairie  grass,  and 
not  a  sign  of  the  three  sentinels  appeared. 

"  I  don't  believe  there  is  any  such  land  at 
all,  and  I  may  as  well  die  here  as  anywhere," 
said  poor  Wassa,  throwing  herself  down  upon 
the  soft  dry  grass. 

"  Patience,  patience  ;  soon  thou'lt  be 
Where  on  guard  are  sentries  three," 

was  heard  from  the  unknown  voice ;  and 
Wassa  took  courage  and  went  boldly  on. 

Soon  the  little  maid's  efforts  were  rewarded 
by  finding  the  tall  prairie  grass  growing  thinner 
and  shorter,  and  she  could  now  look  about  her. 
In  the  distance  she  beheld  a  mound,  on  the 
top  of  which  she  descried  two  small  objects, 
but  what  they  were  she  could  not  discover. 
Hastening  her  steps,  Wassa  hurried  toward 
this  welcome  sight,  and,  before  long  dis 
covered  that  the  two  objects  that  had  at 
tracted  her  attention  were  a  little  prairie-dog 
and  an  owl. 

"  This    must  be  the  place,"  said  Wassa  to 


196       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

herself.  "  Here  is  the  mound,  and  here  are 
two  of  the  sentries,  but  where  is  the  third  ?  " 
As  she  spoke,  a  third  object  appeared  at  the 
opening  in  the  mound,  and  Wassa  started 
nervously  as  the  dark  head  of  a  rattlesnake 
came  into  view.  It  reared  itself  cautiously 
from  the  opening,  as  if  it  did  not  like  to  attract 
attention,  and  looked  cautiously  at  the  little 
maid. 


Cautious,  however,  as  were  the  rattlesnake's 
movements,  they  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
watchful  owl,  whose  great  yellow  eyes  were 
instantly  fixed  upon  it. 

"  Go  back  at  once  and  attend  to  thy  cooking," 
said  the  owl  severely.  "  Don't  let  the  rabbit- 
stew  be  burnt  again  to-day." 


THE    FAIRY    PRINCE    AND    WASSA.  197 

The  snake  jerked  back  her  head  with  great 
alacrity,  and  disappeared  within  the  hole,  and 
Wassa  now  perceived  a  fragrant  odor  of  cook 
ing  viands  proceeding  from  within  the  mound. 

Meanwhile  the  owl  and  the  prairie-dog  were 
regarding  the  little  maid  with  great  curiosity. 


198       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

WASSA    CAPTURES    THE    FAIRY    PRINCE. 

Wassa  was  certain  that  the  opening  in  the 
mound  led  to  the  land  of  the  Starlit  Day,  but 
she  hesitated  before  she  could  make  up  her 
mind  to  enter  the  dark  passageway  that  led 
to  the  underground  realms. 

The  little  prairie-dog  was  certainly  not  to  be 
feared,  and  the  owl,  although  so  dignified  and 
majestic  in  her  bearing,  was  also  harmless ; 
but  when  the  little  maid  thought  of  meeting 
the  rattlesnake  in  the  dark,  her  courage  sank, 
and  she  stood  irresolute,  gazing  into  the  dark 
ness  that  extended  as  far  as  she  could  see. 

"  Fear  not,  maiden ;  yon's  the  way 
Leading  to  the  starlit  day : 
Boldly  enter,  have  no  fear ; 
Whom  thou  seekest,  he  is  near." 

These  words,  spoken  by  the  well-known 
voice,  gave  Wassa  courage,  and  she  boldly 
entered  the  dark  hole.  At  first  she  could  see 


WASSA    (\ITURES    THE    FAIRY    PRINCE.      199 

nothing,  but  as  soon  as  her  eyes  became  accus 
tomed  to  the  change,  she  was  surprised  to  find 
that  she  could  see  as  well  as  if  it  were  day 
light. 

The  passageway  was  narrow  at  first,  and  so 
low  that  Wassa  was  obliged  to  crawl  on  her 
hands  and  knees.  As  she  proceeded,  the  odor 
of  savory  food  that  she  had  perceived  as  she 
stood  outside,  grew  still  more  pleasant,  and  the 
hunger  that  had  been  gradually  increasing,, 
grew  almost  unbearable. 

By  degrees  the  passage  widened,  and  she 
found  before  long  that  she  could  stand  erect, 
so  she  rose  to  her  feet  and  walked  rapidly 
forward.  A  dim  light  in  the  distance,  and  a 
slender,  dark  object  that  constantly  moved  to 
and  fro  in  front  of -it,  attracted  the  little  maid's 
attention,  and  soon  she  came  into  a  large 
cavern,  and  discovered  that  the  light  came 
from  a  fire,  over  which  a  kettle  was  hanging, 
from  which  clouds  of  fragrant  vapor  issued. 
The  slender,  dark  object  was  the  rattlesnake 
she  had  seen  before,  and  so  dreaded  to  meet. 

Wassa's  fears,  however,  were  unfounded,  for 
the  rattlesnake,  in  her  capacity  of  cook,  was 
far  too  anxious  in  the  cooking  of  the  rabbit- 


2OO      THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 


stew  to  pay  any  heed  to  strangers.  Restlessly 
moving  to  and  fro,  she  constantly  reared  her 
head  to  gaze  into  the  kettle,  to  see  if  the  stew 
were  in  danger  of  burning. 

"  Oh,  deary  me  !  deary  me  !  if  it  should  catch 

on  again  to-day !  " 
murmured  the  poor 
cook,  in  a  helpless, 
dazed  sort  of  way. 

One  of  the  pecu 
liarities  of  Fairyland 
is,  that  those  who 
enter  there  can  un 
derstand  the  animal 

language,  and  Wassa  was  surprised  to  find 
how  easily  she  understood  the  rattlesnake. 
The  fear  she  had  first  felt  now  vanished  as 
she  watched  the  feeble-minded  cook,  and  her 
hunger  increased  as  the  savory  odors  of  the 
stew  grew  more  and  more  fragrant. 

"Oh,  deary  me  !  if  it  should  catch  on  again 
to-day!  "  again  murmured  the  poor  cook,  after 
another  peep  into  the  kettle.  "And  I  wonder 
if  I  have  forgotten  to  put  the  salt  in  to-day. 
Can  any  one  tell  me  if  I  have  forgotten  to  put 
the  salt  in  to-day  ?  " 


WASSA    CAPTURES    THE    FAIRY    PRINCE.      2OI 

"Yes,  madam,"  said  Wassa  politely,  advanc 
ing  toward  the  distracted  cook,  "  I  can  tell 
thee,  if  thou  wilt  let  me  have  a  taste;"  and 
Wassa's  mouth  fairly  watered  at  the  thought 
of  the  savory  dish. 

"  What  is  that  to  thee,  pray  ?  "  said  the  cook 
in  an  irritable  tone.  "  I  forgot  the  salt  yester 
day,  and  she  was  very  angry,  and  if  I  forget  it 
again  to-day,  I  don't  know  what  she  will  do  to 
me.  Oh!  will  any  one  tell  me  if  I  have  forgot 
ten  to  put  it  in  to-day  ?  " 

"  How  can  any  one  tell  thee  unless  thou  art 
willing  to  let  them  taste  of  it  ?  "  said  Wassa, 
out  of  patience  with  the  foolish  cook. 

"What  has  that  to  do  with  it  ?"  asked  the 
snake,  shaking  her  rattles  severely.  "  I  forgot 
it  yesterday,  and  she  told  me  not  to  forget  it 
again.  Oh  !  if  somebody  would  only  tell  me 
if  I  have  forgotten  it  to-day!" 

"That's  the  strangest  way  of  reasoning  / 
ever  heard  of,"  said  Wassa  to  herself.  "  But  if 
she  will  not  listen  to  me,  I  can't  help  her.  I 
wish  I  could  get  some  of  that  stew,  salt  or  no 
salt,  it  smells  so  good." 

The  rattlesnake  still  watched  anxiously  the 
rabbit-stew,  breaking  out  at  intervals  into  the 


2O2       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

same  expressions  regarding  the  burning  on 
and  the  salt,  and  her  fear  of  the  owl's  dipleas- 
ure.  At  last  Wassa  could  bear  it  no  longer, 
and  exclaimed  :  — 

"  Do  let  me  have  a  little  of  the  stew,  it  smells 
so  deliciously,  and  I  am  almost  starved." 

As  Wassa  spoke,  she  picked  up  a  dish  that 
lay  on  the  ground,  and  boldly  approached  the 
kettle. 

"Stop!"  cried  the  rattlesnake,  "  thou  must 
not  do  that !  Nobody  but  she  must  touch  it, 
and  even  the  other  one  does  not  dare  to  so 
much  as  look  at  it  until  she  has  had  all  she 
wants.  And  as  for  me,  why,  if  I  get  the 
kettle  to  lap  out,  it's  as  much  as  ever  I  get. 
Then  dost  thou  suppose  I  would  let  thee  have 
any?" 

Wassa  was  too  hungry  to  be  easily  put  aside, 
and  with  a  determined  air  attempted  to  dip  up 
some  of  the  stew,  but  the  snake  sprang  her 
rattle  loudly,  at  the  same  time  rearing  her 
head  upright  and  preparing  to  spring  ;  but  at 
the  sight  of  the  rattlesnake's  flattened  head  and 
vicious  expression,  Wassa  quickly  threw  down 
the  dish  and  darted  away.  When  at  a  safe 
distance,  she  looked  back,  and  saw  the  rattle- 


WASSA    CAPTURES    THE    FAIRY    1'KIMT..      203 

snake  once  more  engrossed  in  her  cooking,  and 
muttering  distractedly  to  herself  as  before. 

The  passageway  into  which  Wassa  had  turned 
grew  narrow,  and  she  was  obliged  once  more  to 
creep  on  her  hands  and  knees.  In  this  way 
she  proceeded  for  some  time,  until  her  back 
became  so  stiff  and  her  arms  and  knees  so  lame 
that  she  could  hardly  move,  and  she  thought  she 
could  go  no  farther,  but  in  the  distance,  all 
at  once,  appeared  a  beautiful  rosy  light.  Her 
courage  revived,  and  she  hastened  to  reach  it. 

Before  long  the  passage  grew  higher  and 
broader,  and  she  again  rose  to  her  feet,  and 
hurried  toward  the  light.  Suddenly  the  pas 
sage  opened  into  a  lofty  cavern,  the  shining 
walls  of  which  were  of  pure  rock-salt,  and  a 
bright,  rosy  light  fell  over  all,  causing  the 
crystals  to  shine  until  her  eyes  could  hardly 
bear  the  brilliancy. 

"  Oh,  how  beautiful !  "  exclaimed  Wassa  as 
she  gazed  about  her  in  wonder. 

At  that  moment  the  gurgling  of  a  waterfall 
fell  on  her  ears,  and  she  beheld  a  beautiful 
fountain  sending  streams  of  rosy-tinted  water 
high  into  the  air. 

"Now  I  can  quench  my  thirst,"  cried  Wassa 


2O4       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF   THE    BLUE    HILL. 

as  she  sprang  joyfully  toward  the  fountain;  but 
as  she  stooped  to  put  her  lips  to  the  cool  water, 
in  the  distance  she  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  fairy 
prince,  whom  she  was  so  eager  to  find. 

"  Prince  !  Prince !  "  cried  Wassa  loudly,  run 
ning  toward  him,  "stop,  pray  stop!"  but  the 
prince  did  not  heed  her  call,  and  ran  on  faster 
than  before. 

The  poor  little  maid  cast  one  look  of  regret 
at  the  tempting  fountain,  and  then  continued 
her  pursuit  of  the  fairy  prince.  The  passage 
again  grew  narrow,  and  she  was  once  more 
obliged  to  creep  her  way  along ;  and  the  fairy 
prince  was  now  out  of  sight.  But  Wassa  knew 
that  her  only  safety  was  in  going  forward,  and 
she  continued  her  way,  until,  weary  and  faint 
from  hunger  and  thirst,  she  at  last  descried  in 
the  distance  a  pale  blue  light.  Making  her 
way  toward  the  welcome  sight,  the  passage 
grew  wider,  and  soon  led  into  a  large  blue 
grotto,  lined  with  silver  ore. 

If  the  first  grotto,  with  its  rosy-tinted  lights 
falling  on  the  sparkling  walls  of  salt,  had 
appeared  beautiful,  how  much  more  beautiful 
did  this  shining  silver  grotto  appear,  with  the 
soft  blue  light  pervading  it ! 


\VASSA    CAPTURES    THE    FAIRY    PRINCE.      2C»5 

Tired  and  faint  as  Wassa  was,  in  a  moment 
she  forgot  her  weariness  and  faintness  as  she 
gazed  rapturously  on  the  beauties  about  her; 
but  before  her  eyes  had  feasted  themselves  on 
these  wonders,  a  slight  sound  arrested  her 
attention,  and  there  was  the  fairy  prince  just 
before  her,  and  roguishly  laughing  back  at  her 
as  he  ran. 

"  I  will  catch  thee  this  time,"  cried  Wassa, 
springing  toward  him,  "  if  I  die  in  the  at 
tempt;  "and  away  through  a  narrow  archway 
that  led  from  the  grotto  fled  the  fairy  prince, 
with  Wassa  close  at  his  heels. 

On  and  on  through  crooked  descents  went 
the  two,  and  many  a  time  Wassa's  hand  nearly 
grasped  the  little  prince,  but  each  time  he 
bounded  lightly  away,  and  at  last  disappeared 
altogether  from  her  sight. 

More  determined  than  ever  to  overtake  her 
wayward  charge,  Wassa  made  a  desperate  at 
tempt,  and  struggled  on,  weary  and  faint  from 
hunger  and  thirst,  until  her  tired  limbs  refused 
to  obey  her  will,  and  she  sank  exhausted  on 
the  ground. 

"  Courage,  maid,  an  effort  make, 
And  the  prince  thou'lt  overtake. 


206       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

Reach  yon  bright  and  shining  light, 
And  all  thy  wrongs  shall  be  set  right." 

As   Wassa  heard  these  words,  she  opened 


her  heavy  eyes,  and  saw  a  brilliant  light 
in  front  of  her,  and  gathering  new  hope 
from  the  promise  of  the  voice,  she  pushed 


WASSA    CAPTURES    THE    FAIRY    PRINCE.      2OJ 

wearily  on.  In  a  few  moments  she  stood  in  a 
lofty  grotto,  the  sides  of  which  seemed  to  be  of 
burnished  gold,  and  a  brilliant  light,  clear  and 
soft  as  starlight,  but  a  thousand  times  brighter, 
shone  over  all. 

As  Wassa  looked  admiringly  about  her,  a 
light  form  stood  before  her,  robed  in  gauzy 
dress  that  shone  like  the  stars,  and  above  her 
head  glistened  a  large  star  that  scintillated  as 
she  moved.  With  a  kindly  smile  the  beautiful 
being  spoke  :  — 

"  Rough  the  path,  and  long  the  way 
Leading  to  the  starlit  day. 
Eat  this  fruit,  and  thou  shalt  see 
Hunger  will  appeased  be." 

As  the  fairy  spoke,  she  held  a  large  and 
juicy  plum  toward  Wassa,  who  seized  iti 
eagerly.  No  sooner  had  it  touched  her  lips 
than  all  sense  of  hunger  and  thirst  vanished, 
and  she  felt  as  much  refreshed  as  if  she  had 
partaken  of  a  hearty  repast. 

The  fairy,  regarding  Wassa  with  the  same- 
kindly  smile^  continued :  — 

"  Maiden,  thou  canst  not  thyself 
Catch  that  sprightly,  roguish  elf. 
Since  thy  duty  is  done  well, 


2O8       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF  THE    BLUE   HILL. 

Thou  shalt  have  a  fairy  spell. 
Soon  the  prince  will  come  this  way, 
To  him  thou  these  words  must  say :  — 

Toto  the  Slim, 

I  know  thee  well, 
And  o'er  thee  cast 

This  fairy  spell. 
I  have  thee  now,  — 

No  more  thou'lt  roam, 
But  seek  at  once 

Thy  fairy  home. 

While  thou  chantest,  o'er  him  shower 
Petals  of  this  fairy  flower. 
Perfumes  sweet  that  in  it  dwell 
Work  o'er  him  a  fairy  spell." 

As  the  fairy  ceased,  she  held  a  bright  flower 
toward  Wassa,  the  perfume  of  which  was  so 
sweet  that  it  pervaded  the  whole  grotto  in  an 
instant.  Before  the  little  maid  had  time  to 
thank  her,  the  fairy  had  vanished.  At  the 
same  moment  Wassa  espied  the  little  prince, 
and,  bounding  toward  him,  she  shook  the  flower 
over  him,  at  the  same  time  saying :  — 

"  Toto  the  Slim, 

I  know  thee  well, 
And  o'er  thee  cast 
This  fairy  spell. 


WASSA    CAPTURES    TIIK    FAIRY     I'KLN'CE.      2OQ 

I  have  thee  now,  - 

No  more  thou'lt  roam, 
But  seek  at  once 

Thy  fairy  home." 

The  instant  the  fairy  flower  was  shaken  o'er 
him,  the  fairy  prince  stood  as  if  spellbound, 
and  Wassa  easily  picked  him  up  and  set  off  for 
home. 

Through  other  long  and  dreary  passages 
Wassa  carried  her  charge,  who  from  time  to 
time  struggled  to  free  himself  from  her  tight 
grasp,  but  every  time  she  shook  the  fairy  flower 
over  him  he  ceased  to  struggle,  and  they  pro 
ceeded  for  a  while  quietly  on  their  way. 

Wassa's  long  journey,  however,  had  told 
heavily  upon  her,  and  the  prince's  struggles 
to  free  himself  as  often  as  the  fairy  flower  lost 
its  influence,  tired  and  irritated  her.  Many  a 
time  she  was  on  the  point  of  abandoning  her 
project  of  reaching  King  Rondo's  domains, 
but  as  often  as  she  gave  way  to  this  impulse 
came  the  thought  of  the  dreadful  fate  that 
would  be  hers  if  she  should  have  to  stay  in 
these  underground  caverns,  —  for  no  sound, 
either  of  man  or  beast,  reached  her,  —  and  so 
she  continued  her  dreary  way  until  a  huge  rock 


210       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 


that  towered  upward  like  a  mountain  rose  be 
fore  her  and  barred  her  way. 

What  was  to  be  done  ?  To  go  back  the 
same  way  was  impossible,  and  Wassa  sank 
on  the  ground  in  despair;  but  even  in  her 
desperation  she  kept  fast  hold  of  the  fairy 

prince.  All  at 
once  she  heard  the 
prince  speak  these 
words :  — 

"  Rockroller,    come    to 

me,  I  pray, 
And  roll  this  mighty 
stone  away." 

At  these  words,  Wassa  looked  up,  and  saw, 
over  the  top  of  the  huge  rock,  the  head  of  a 
giant,  whose  sleepy,  good-natured  face  looked 
as  if  he  had  been  aroused  from  a  sound  nap. 
In  a  moment  the  giant  stood  before  them, 
yawning  and  stretching  to  awaken  himself. 
Easily  lifting  the  huge  rock  with  one  hand,  he 
tossed  it  lightly  aside,  and,  to  Wassa's  aston 
ishment,  the  domains  of  King  Rondo  lay  be 
fore  her. 

In  her  surprise,  Wassa  had  dropped,  without 


WASSA    CAPTURES    THE    FAIRY    PRINCE.       211 

knowing  it,  the  fairy  flower  that  had  wrought 
such  a  wondrous  change  in  the  prince's  mood  ; 
but  no  sooner  was  the  flower  gone  than  the 
prince  renewed  his  struggles  with  greater 
energy  than  before,  screaming  and  kicking 
so  that  Wassa  could  scarcely  hold  him. 

"  I  won't  go  back  with  thee,  I  say  ! 
I  like  the  land  of  the  Starlit  Day. 
If  thou  dost  not  obey  me  quick, 
Then  I  will  loudly  scream  and  kick." 

At  these  words  of  the  fairy  prince,  Wassa's 
stock  of  patience  was  wholly  exhausted,  and 
she  exclaimed  :  — 

41  Kick  and  scream  as  loudly  as  thou  canst; 
I  am  stronger  than  thou  art,  and  thou  shalt  not 
escape  me  again  ;  "  and,  despite  the  screaming 
and  struggling  of  the  naughty  prince,  she  held 
him  firmly  in  her  arms,  and  did  not  release  him 
until  she  found  King  Rondo,  when  she  placed 
his  son  before  him,  saying  angrily  :  — 

"  I  have  brought  the  prince  back  safely  this 
time,  but  not  all  the  treasures  of  thy  kingdom 
would  tempt  me  to  take  care  of  him  another 
day  ;  for  of  all  the  spoiled  children  I  ever  saw, 
he  is  the  worst,  and,  after  seeing  him,  I  wonder 


212      THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

that  I  could  ever  have  thought  dear  little  Mona 
a  spoiled  child,  just  because  she  had  pretty 
things  and  liked  to  wear  them." 

The  king,  as  Wassa  began  to  speak,  had  re 
garded  her  with  knitted  brows,  but  gradually 
his  face  relaxed,  and,  as  she  finished,  the  good- 
natured  twinkle  of  the  eye  that  characterized 
his  expression,  once  more  appeared,  and  he 
spoke  thus : — 

"  Little  maid,  although  we  fairy  folk  are  un 
known  to  thee,  thou  hast  long  been  known  by 
us,  and  we  have  watched  over  thee.  The  envy 
of  thy  friend  Mona  that  was  in  thy  heart 
troubled  us  sorely,  and  all  the  naughty  tricks 
thou  hast  put  upon  her  were  known  to  us.  We 
resolved  to  cure  thee  of  this  fault,  and  to  show 
thee  what  a  spoiled  child  really  was.  For  this 
reason  we  made  a  spoiled  child  of  Toto  the 
Slim,  and  well  must  he  have  played  his  part, 
since  thou  confessest  that  thou  wast  mistaken 
in  thy  judgment  of  Mona.  Now,  since  thou 
hast  discovered  thy  fault,  thou  canst  depart 
from  Fairyland,  but  thou  know'st  the  conse 
quences  if  thou  repeatest  thy  fault." 

Whereupon  King  Rondo  signalled  to  his 
gnomes,  saying:  — 


WASSA    CAPTURES    THE    FAIRY    PRINCE.      213 

"  Ho,  vassals  !     Ope  the  portal  wide, 
That  this  fair  maid  may  pass  outside." 

Then  the  huge  wall  of  rock  rolled  aside,  and 
as  Wassa  passed  through,  a  voice  said:  — 

"  Broken  the  spell,  the  task  is  done, 
A  battle  hard  thou  here  hast  won. 
Envious  thoughts  keep  from  thy  door, 
So  dwell  in  peace  for  evermore." 

As  the  words  ceased,  the  door  rolled  back 
into  place,  and  Wassa  found  herself  standing 
alone  on  the  top  of  Blue  Hill.  The  sun  had 
disappeared  behind  the  western  woods,  and  its 
last  rosy  tints  were  reflected  from  its  summit. 
Wassa  walked  rapidly  down  through  the  land 
of  the  After-glow.  All  was  still ;  the  only  liv 
ing  creature  in  sight  was  the  blue  dragon-fly, 
who  was  returning  from  a  gay  party  among 
the  lily-pads  of  the  pond. 


214      THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF   THE    BLUE    HILL. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

CLOUDCATCHER    AND    HIS    PRISONERS. 

When  King  Rondo  ordered  the  door  to  be 
opened  for  Wassa  to  leave  his  domains,  there 
was  an  observer  who  carefully  noted  every 
thing  that  took  place.  This  was  no  other  than 
the  giant  king,  Cloudcatcher.  Seated  on  the 
summit  of  a  neighboring  spur  of  Blue  Hill,  he 
saw  what  went  on  for  miles  about,  —  saw  the 
elf  Toto,  whom  he  supposed  to  be  the  fairy 
prince,  and  watched  Wassa  as  she  walked 
through  the  door. 

The  reason  for  King  Cloudcatcher's  watch 
ing  the  entrance  to  the  gnomes'  cavern  was  this : 
when  the  giant  Rockroller  removed  the  rock 
for  Wassa  and  her  charge  to  leave  the  land  of 
the  Starlit  Day,  he  did  not  recognize  the  elf 
Toto  the  Slim  in  his  disguise  of  the  fairy 
prince,  and,  thinking  him  to  be  really  the  son 
of  King  Rondo,  he  acquainted  King  Cloud- 
catcher  with  the  fact,  and  the  giant  king  at 
once  conceived  the  idea  of  capturing  the  young 


CLOUDCATCHER    AND    HIS    PRISONERS.       215 

prince  and  holding  him,  thus  paying  back  the 
many  tricks  the  gnomes  had  played  upon  the 
giants. 

So  great  was    King    Cloudcatcher's   excite 
ment  at  the  prospect  of  an  opportunity  to  ob- 


tain  possession  of  the  young  prince,  that  he 
did  not  look  as  carefully  as  he  should  have 
done,  or  he  would  have  discovered  that  Wassa 
left  the  gnomes'  kingdom  alone. 

Stepping  over  the  tall  trees  that  lay  in  his 
path,  and  trying  to  make  as  little  noise  as  pos- 


2l6       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

sible,  King  Cloudcatcher,  holding  his  hood  in 
his  hand,  after  the  manner  of  a  boy  who  is  try 
ing  to  catch  a  butterfly,  came  up  behind  Wassa 
at  the  very  moment  when  she  met  the  blue 
dragon-fly,  and,  being  as  we  said  before,  nervous 
and  hasty,  and,  moreover,  never  noted  for 
the  sharpness  of  his  wits,  he  hastily  threw  his 
hood  over  Wassa  and  the  blue  dragon-fly,  and, 
tucking  it  under  his  arm,  strode  rapidly  off 
with  his  prize,  never  doubting  for  a  moment 
that  he  had  captured  the  fairy  prince  and  his 
nurse. 

A  few  long  steps  brought  King  Cloudcatcher 
to  the  ocean,  and  he  skirted  along  the  edges 
to  cool  his  feet  to  prepare  them  for  his  long 
walk.  Then  he  stepped  across  to  the  Isles  of 
Shoals,  as  they  are  now  called,  and  sat  for  a 
moment's  rest  on  the  island  of  Appledore. 

All  this  time  the  giant  held  his  hood  securely 
under  his  arm,  but  dared  not  take  a  good  look 
at  his  prisoners  for  fear  the  wilful  prince  might 
take  advantage  of  the  opportunity  to  escape. 

When  sufficiently  cooled  off,  King  Cloud- 
catcher  resumed  his  journey,  wading  across 
to  New  Hampshire  in  a  few  good  strides,  and 
then  heading  straight  for  the  White  Mountains. 


CLOUDCATCHER    AND    HIS    PRISONERS.       2IJ 

The  cries  from  within  the  hood  reached  him 
only  as  confused  murmurs,  and  the  giant's  head 
was  so  high  among  the  clouds  that  he  did  not 
hear  accurately  what  went  on  so  far  below 
him.  He  walked  through  Lake  Winnipesaukee 
to  wash  the  dust  from  his  feet,  and  in  a  few  min 
utes  stood  at  the  foot  of  Mt.  Washington. 

By  this  time  the  cries  from  Wassa  and  the 
blue  dragon-fly  had  grown  very  faint,  for  be 
tween  terror  and  fatigue  they  were  too  much 
exhausted  to  make  much  noise.  A  few  vigor 
ous  strides  took  the  giant  to  the  summit  of  the 
mountain,  and,  stopping  before  a  cave  made 
for  the  purpose  by  the  giant  Rockroller,  King 
Cloudcatcher  thrust  in  his  captives  and  hastily 
barred  the  entrance  with  a  large  rock. 

When  the  cavern  was  closed,  the  giant  king, 
elated  with  the  success  of  his  plan,  indulged 
in  a  fit  of  hearty  laughter  that  echoed  like  a 
volley  of  artillery  among  the  mountain  ranges, 
and  struck  terror  to  the  hearts  of  the  two  poor 
little  prisoners  within  the  cave. 

The  king's  return  trip  was  made  in  a  much 
shorter  time  than  the  one  we  have  just  de 
scribed,  and  he  quickly  summoned  his  subjects 
to  a  conference.  When  they  were  all  assem- 


2l8       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

bled,  the  king  addressed  them  in  his  usual 
pompous  manner :  — 

"While  ye  have  been  idling  away  your  time, 
ye  dull  knaves,  your  king  has  been  busy.  If  he 
had  not  more  brains  than  the  whole  of  ye  put 
together,  the  dwarf  prince  would  never  have 
been  captured.  As  it  is,  he  is  at  this  moment 
safe  in  our  cavern  on  yonder  mountain." 

"  Is  that  true,  your  majesty?"  ejaculated  the 
giants  in  a  breath. 

"Indeed,  it  is  the  very  truth,"  replied  King 
Cloudcatcher. 

"  How  did  it  happen  ? "  asked  one  of  the 
giants  humbly. 

"  There  is  no  need  to  acquaint  thee  with  the 
tale,"  replied  the  king.  "  It  suffices  that  the 
thing  is  done.  The  only  consideration  now 
is,  how  to  obtain  an  interview  with  the  dwarf 
king  and  force  him  to  compromise.  Now  that 
his  son  and  heir  is  in  our  hands  we  can  make 
our  own  terms.  The  question  then  is,  how 
can  we  gain  access  to  him?" 

As  the  giant  king  ceased,  Toto  the  Slim 
stood  before  him,  and,  bowing  low,  said :  — 

"  Most  gracious  king,  I  have  the  right 
The  gnome  to  seek,  by  day  or  night. 


CLOUnCATCHER    AND    HIS    PRISONERS.       2 19 

So,  mighty  king,  I  prithee  say 
If  I  can  aid  in  any  way." 

The  giant  king  looked  down  upon  the  tiny 
elf  that  hardly  reached  to  his  ankle,  but  who 
stood  before  the  tall  giant  with  as  independent 
an  air  as  if  he  were  as  tall  as  the  tallest  of 
them. 

"Yes,  friend  elf,"  answered  King  Cloud- 
catcher,  "  thou  canst  do  me  a  great  service. 
Thou  know'st  well  the  feud  that  exists  between 
us  and  the  dwarfs.  We  have  captured  the 
dwarf  prince  and  have  him  safely  imprisoned 
in  yonder  distant  mountain.  There  shall  he 
stay  until  the  dwarf  king  agrees  to  resign  his 
crown  and  acknowledge  us  as  the  rightful  king. 
Wilt  thou  undertake  the  commission?" 

"  Thou  hast  done  well  to  imprison  the  dwarf 
prince,"  replied  the  elf,  "for  I  know  him  to  be 
wilful  and  peevish.  It  will  do  him  good  to 
stay  in  prison  for  a  time.  I  will  repair  to  the 
gnome  king  and  inform  him  that  his  son  and 
heir  is  in  thy  power  and  there  will  remain 
until  he  agrees  to  thy  conditions,  which  arei 
to  give  up  everything  and  acknowledge  thee 
as  his  lawful  king.  Have  I  learned  my  task 
rightly?" 


22O      THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

"  Thou  art  a  knowing  elf,"  answered  King 
Cloudcatcher,  "and  hast  learned  thy  task  well. 
Go  at  once  to  the  dwarf  king,  and  lay  the  case 
before  him.  We  will  await  his  answer  here, 
and  rest  after  our  trip  to  yonder  hill." 

So  saying,  the  giant  threw  himself  down  in 
an  easy  position,  and  in  a  moment  his  heavy 
breathing  swayed  the  tall  forest  trees  about 
and  whistled  through  their  sturdy  branches. 

Toto  the  Slim  watched  the  sleeping  giant 
for  a  moment  with  great  enjoyment,  then 
bounded  up  the  hill,  and  in  a  twinkling  stood 
before  the  high  rock  that  shut  in  King  Ron 
do's  domains.  The  signal  was  given,  the  rock 
rolled  back,  and  Toto  entered  the  cavern.  Pro 
ceeding  at  once  to  the  king's  banquet  hall,  he 
found  his  majesty  seated  before  his  favorite 
dish  of  "grubs  on  toast." 

"Why  com'st  thou  in  such  haste?"  asked 
the  gnome  king  as  he  finished  his  last  mouth 
ful  and,  pushing  back  his  chair,  looked  be 
nignly  upon  the  elf. 

"  King  Rondo,"  began  Toto,  "  the  giant  king, 
Cloudcatcher,  bade  me  acquaint  thee  with  the 
news  that  he  has  thy  son  and  heir  in  his  power, 
and  that  there  he  will  remain  until  thou  dost 
agree  to  his  conditions." 


CLOUDCATVIIER    AND    HIS    I'kIS«  »M.R>.       221 

"What  may  those  be,  little  elf?"  asked  the 
king.  "  Much  would  I  sacrifice  to  see  once 
more  that  sweet  child,  that  mild-mannered 
prince.  Methinks  I  hear  even  now  his  dulcet 
tones.  Sleepless  at  night,  not  tempted  even 
by  the  most  savory  dishes  by  day"  ( here  a 
merry  twinkle  came  into  the  king's  bright  eyes 
as  he  glanced  at  the  empty 
dish ),  "  I  shall  know  no 
peaceful  moments  until 
I  behold  the  fairy  prince 
once  more.  Tell  me,  then, 
the  conditions,  friend 
elf." 

"  The     conditions,    my 
liege,  are  these  :  that  thou 
dost  resign  all  right  to  thy 
kingdom  and  acknowledge    Cloudcatcher    as 
lawful  king." 

"And  is  that  all  the  giant  wants?"  asked 
King  Rondo.  "  Say  to  him  that  all  this  and 
more  would  I  gladly  do  to  receive  from  him 
my  son  and  heir.  Dost  thou  remember  the 
sweet  prince,  friend  elf?" 

Whereupon  the  elf  began  at  once  to  throw 
his  arms  about  and  stamp  his  feet,  crying 
peevishly  : — 


222       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

"  Thou  horrid  nurse,  now  go  away  ! 
I  will  not  go  with  thee,  I  say  !  " 

The  king  and  Toto  both  laughed  immoder 
ately  at  the  recollection  of  the  trick  they  had 
played  so  successfully,  and  then  Toto  the  Slim 
bade  the  king  adieu  and  returned  to  the  giant. 

Meantime  the  giant  king  was  fast  asleep  at 
the  foot  of  the  hill,  but  before  he  had  slept 
many  minutes,  the  elf  Toto  returned,  and, 
finding  the  giant  asleep  still,  perched  astride 
the  branch  of  a  tall  pine  that  grew  above  the 
head  of  the  sleeping  giant,  and  watched  him 
with  much  amusement. 

For  a  while  it  was  very  entertaining  to  see 
the  giant  with  his  great  mouth  open,  and  watch 
his  deep  breathing  and  the  stupid  expression  of 
his  face,  but  before  long  the  pastime  became 
monotonous,  and  the  elf  began  to  wish  he 
would  wake  up.  As  the  giant's  sleep  became 
heavier  and  heavier,  and  the  sounds  of  his 
breathing  louder  and  louder,  the  elf  grew  im 
patient,  and  set  his  active  mind  at  work  to 
discover  some  means  of  awakening  the  great 
fellow. 

Picking  up  a  large  stone,  or  rather  one  that 
was  large  for  the  elf's  small  hands,  —  in  fact  it 


CLOl'DCATCHER    AND    HIS    PRISONERS.       223 

was  about  the  size  of  a  large  walnut, —  the  elf 
climbed  the  tree  once  more,  holding  his  stone 
carefully,  and  when  just  above  the  giant's 
head  he  let  the  stone  fall  on  the  sleeping,  up 
turned  face.  It  hit  the  giant's  nose,  but  it 
made  no  more  impression  on  him  than  a  grain 
of  sand  would  have  made  upon  the  elf,  in  truth, 
not  half  so  much,  and  the  giant  slept  more 
deeply  than  before. 

Finding  his  first  experiment  a  failure,  the  elf 
bethought  himself  of  another.  Hastily  sliding 
down  the  tree,  he  cast  his  eyes  about  until 
they  lighted  on  a  stick  pointed  at  one  end. 

In  reality  the  stick  was  a  short  one,  but  com 
pared  with  the  height  and  strength  of  the  elf, 
it  seemed  a  mighty  pole.  Firmly  seizing  the 
thickest  end  in  both  his  hands,  and  holding 
the  pointed  end  straight  before  him,  as  one 
would  handle  a  spear,  the  elf  started  on  a  run 
in  the  direction  of  the  giant's  face. 

By  the  time  Toto  reached  the  giant  he  had 
accumulated  a  good  deal  of  force,  and  thr 
sharp  point  of  the  stick  brought  up  against  the 
giant's  cheek  with  force  sufficient  to  cause  him 
to  put  up  his  hand  and  make  a  motion  as 
though  he  were  brushing  a  mosquito  away. 


224       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF   THE    BLUE    HILL. 

This  motion  satisfied  Toto  that  he  had  made 
some  impression  upon  the  thick  skin  of  the 
giant,  and  he  repeated  the  thrust  several  times. 

At  each  prick  of  the  stick  the  giant  rubbed 
his  cheek,  but  at  last  his  heavy  breathing- 
ceased,  and  he  sat  upright,  exclaiming :  — 

"The  mosquitoes  are  thick  in  these  low 
lands.  I  must  choose  a  loftier  site  for  my 
nap." 

The  next  moment  the  giant  caught  sight  of 
the  elf,  and  at  once  remembered  that  he  was 
awaiting  him  when  he  fell  asleep. 

"Well,  friend  elf,"  said  the  giant,  "what  suc 
cess  hadst  thou  with  the  dwarf  ? " 


THE    LITTLE    GRAY    MANS    DECISION.         225 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

THE    LITTLE    GRAY    MAN*S    DECISION. 

The  elf  looked  very  tiny  as  he  stood  before 
the  giant  king,  who  still  reclined  on  the  grass, 
resting  his  head  on  his  hand ;  and  even  in  thi> 
position  the  elf  was  obliged  to  look  upward  tc 
see  the  giant's  face. 

"Come  a  little  nearer,  friend  elf,"  said  the 
giant  good-naturedly  as  he  reached  out  one 
of  his  fingers.  Toto  immediately  jumped 
astride  the  great  finger,  and  was  thus  brought 
on  a  level  with  the  giant's  face. 

"  Come,  my  little  man,  let  us  now  hear  the 
result  of  thy  visit  to  the  dwarf  king.  What 
said  he  ?  " 

With  a  very  serious  expression  on  his  rosy 
little  face,  the  elf  replied  :  — 

"  Rondo,  great  king,  is  nearly  wild 
With  grief  at  loss  of  his  fair  child  ; 
No  sleep  by  night,  no  food  by  day 
Since  the  dear  child  was  stolen  away. 
To  all  thy  terms  he  will  agree 
His  cherished  son  and  heir  to  see. 


226      THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

He  prays  thee  no  more  time  to  waste, 
But  bring  him  back  in  greatest  haste." 

"So!  "  exclaimed  King  Cloudcatcher  with  a 
laugh  so  loud  that  it  nearly  blew  the  elf  from 
his  finger,  "  I  thought  we  had  found  the  way  to 
his  heart.  Come,  friend  elf,  since  thou  hast 
executed  thy  mission  so  well,  thou  shalt  take 

a  journey  to  yonder 
high  mountain  and 
see  the  prison  where 
we  have  the  dwarf 
prince  in  safe  keep- 

55 

mg. 

So  saying,  the 
giant  picked  up  his 
great  hood  that  lay 
on  the  ground  be 
side  him,  and  that 
was  much  larger  than  the  hut  of  either 
the  hunter  or  the  rover,  or,  in  fact,  than 
both  put  together,  and,  placing  the  elf  on  the 
top  of  it,  where  he  could  sit  or  walk  about  as 
he  felt  inclined,  and  whence  he  would  have  a 
fine  view  of  the  country  through  which  they 
must  pass,  the  giant  carefully  put  his  hood  on 


THE    LITTLE    GRAY    MAN  .s    DECISION,         227 

his  head,  and,  rising  to  his  feet,  set  off  once 
more  northward. 

This  was  the  first  journey  the  elf  had  ever 
taken,  and,  after  he  became  accustomed  to  his 
lofty  position,  he  took  great  pleasure  in  look 
ing  down  upon  the  landscape  that  lay  so  far 
below  him.  The  effect  was  much  the  same,  I 
presume,  as  travellers  in  balloons  experience. 
There  was  one  drawback,  however,  and  that 
was  that  so  high  among  the  clouds  the  air 
was  very  chilly,  and  Toto's  small  nose  soon 
became  as  red  as  a  cherry.  The  broad  sur- 
fac.  of  the  edge  of  the  hood,  however,  was 
as  gv.  ^d  ac  a  race-course,  and  Toto  ran  and 
dance  '  \  »out  upon  it  until  'iis  blood  was  all 
in  a  g  v. 

I\u  .  care,  my  little  man, don't  get  /^lively 
up  there  and  tumble  off,"  the  giant  king  would 
say  from  below,  when  Toto  became  particularly 
active;  and  bhe  mischief-loving  and  nimble  elf 
would  reply  by  redoubling  his  efforts,  turning 
summersaults,  and  sometimes  dropping  over 
the  edge  of  the  hood,  as  if  he  were  about  to 
fall,  and  then,  by  a  nimble  movement,  recover 
ing  himself  and  springing  back  again. 

These  feints  of  Toto  made    the  giant  quite 


228       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

nervous,  and  it  is  needless  to  say  gave  the  mis 
chievous  elf  great  satisfaction. 

In  this  manner  the  two  proceeded  until  they 
reached  the  top  of  Mt.  Washington,  when  the 
giant  paused  before  the  cave  in  which  his  two 
prisoners  were  confined.  They,  hearing  the 
giant's  approach,  set  up  a  clamor  to  be  released, 
and  at  the  sound  of  the  voices  the  giant 
smiled  with  great  satisfaction. 

"  Now,  my  little  man,"  said  the  giant,  taking 
off  his  hood  and  carefully  picking  Toto  up 
between  his  forefinger  and  thumb,  "  we  will 
put  thee  in  a  place  of  safety,  whence  thou 
canst  see  what  passes.  The  dwarf  prince  is  so 
small  and  full  of  tricks  that  he  may  escape  us, 
if  we  are  not  on  our  guard." 

So  saying,  King  Cloudcatcher  placed  Toto 
the  Slim  upon  a  fir  tree  that  grew  near 
by,  and  began  to  move  away  cautiously  the 
great  stone  that  stood  before  the  mouth  of 
the  cave. 

When  a  small  opening  was  effected,  Cloud- 
catcher  bent  over  and  looked  into  the  cave. 
It  was  very  dark  within,  but  he  could  discern 
the  rover's  little  maid  standing  ready  to  come 
out  as  soon  as  the  stone  was  removed.  While 


THE    LITTLE    (I  KAY     MAN\S     I>i:<   IM<>\.          22CJ 

the  giant  was  looking  eagerly  for  the  fairy 
prince,  something  fluttered  by  him  and  flew 
quickly  away.  It  was  the  blue  dragon-fly, 
who,  delighted  at  being  released,  betook  her 
self  home  as  fast  as  her  wings  could  carry 
her, 

u  Oh  !  it's  thou,  my  little  lady,  is  it  ?  "  ex 
claimed  the  giant  as  his  eyes  followed  the 
dragon-fly,  who  was  fast  disappearing  in  the 
distance.  "  Well,  our  business  is  not  with 
thee." 

The  stone  was  removed,  and  out  walked 
Wassa. 

"  Where  is  the  prince,  my  maid  ?  "  asked  the 
giant  anxiously  as  his  eyes  peered  into  the 
dark  cave.  "  What  hast  thou  done  with  thy 
charge,  the  dwarf  prince?" 

"The  fairy  prince  dost  thou  mean  ?"  asked 
Wassa,  surprised.  "What  have  /  done  with 
him?  Why,  I  am  but  too  thankful  to  be 
done  w^ith  him.  Where  should  he  be  but  in 
the  realms  of  King  Rondo,  his  father?" 

"  Stay  !  "  thundered  the  giant  a>  Wassa  was 
about  to  depart ;  "do  not  trifle  with  me,  or  thou 
shalt  learn  what  it  is  to  offend  the  giant  king. 
I  ask  thee  once  again,  where  is  the  dwarf 


230       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

prince,  whom  I  imprisoned  with  thee  in  this 
cave  ?  Answer  me  truly,  for  if  I  find  thou 
art  deceiving  me,  thou  shalt  pay  dearly  for 
it." 

"Sire,"  answered  Wassa  humbly,  and  trem 
bling  before  the  loud  tones  of  the  angry  giant> 
"  I  have  not  deceived  thee.  On  my  way  down 
the  hill,  after  King  Rondo  set  me  free  from 
Fairyland,  I  was  suddenly  caught  up  and 
brought  to  this  place.  Not  a  living  creature 
was  with  me,  except  a  blue  dragon-fly,  who 
was  passing  at  the  time.  She  has  just  flown 
away,  and  I  pray  thee  to  allow  me  to  depart 
too." 

"The  prince!  the  dwarf  prince!"  thundered 
the  enraged  giant,  who  began  to  believe  that 
he  had  been  duped.  "  I  ask  thee  for  the  last 
time,  where  is  the  dwarf  prince  ?  " 

As  soon  as  the  blue  dragon-fly  had  made  her 
escape,  the  elf  Toto  the  Slim,  unperceived  by 
the  giant  or  Wassa,  had  slid  down  from  the  fir 
tree,  and  crept  up  behind  the  giant,  and  before 
poor  frightened  Wassa  could  reply,  the  mischie 
vous  elf,  imitating  the  fairy  prince  who  had 
caused  Wassa  so  much  trouble,  danced  up  and 
down,  and  screamed :  — 


THE    LITTLE    GRAY    MANS    DECISION.        231 

"  No,  no  !  I  won't  go  home,  I  say  ! 
I'll  scream  until  thou  lett'st  me  stay." 

"There  he  is!  There  is  the  fairy  prince/ 
cried  Wassa  as  she  recognized  her  former 
wilful  charge. 

With  an  exclamation  of  joy,  Cloudcatcher 
scooped  up  the  mischievous  elf  and  Wassa, 
thrust  them  hurriedly  into  his  hood,  and 
started  with  his  longest  strides  for  home. 

Wassa  was  more  terrified  than  ever  as  she 
found  herself  borne  away  in  the  dark  hood; 
for  now  that  she  was  in  the  power  of  the 
giants,  how  much  more  she  had  to  dread  than 
when  with  the  gnomes !  Her  cries  to  be  re- 
released  were  of  no  avail,  but  seemed  only  to 
have  the  effect  of  increasing  the  giant's  speed, 
for  he  splashed  through  the  ocean,  and  strode 
over  hills,  and  jumped  across  valleys  with  such 
swiftness  that  in  a  very  short  time  he  stood 
before  the  high  wall  of  rock  that  shut  in  the 
gnomes'  domains.  Then,  carefully  opening 
his  hood,  he  picked  Wassa  out  and  placed  her 
upon  a  tree  in  front  of  him,  that  he  might  keep 
one  eye  on  her.  Then  he  carefully  took  up  the 
elf  and  held  him  before  his  eyes  for  a  moment, 
to  assure  himself  that  this  time  no  mistake  had 
been  made. 


232       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

"  Now,  my  fine  prince,  take  us  to  thy  royal 
sire,  or  rather  bring  him  to  us,  as  the  dwarf's 
castle  would  be  rather  small  for  one  of  our 
size,  and  we  will  make  the  compact ;  but  let  us 
have  a  good  look  at  thee,  my  pretty  dwarf 
prince,  ere  we  resign  thee,  for  the  features  of 
thy  race  are  so  small  it  is  hard  for  us  to  tell 
one  from  another." 

So  saying,  Cloudcatcher  placed  the  elf  on 
the  branch  of  an  oak  tree  that  grew  near  by. 

The  elf,  as  soon  as  he  was  released,  executed 
a  fantastic  dance,  and  making  a  low  obeisance, 
said:  — 

"Sire,  the  prince,  —  or,  if  thou  please, 
Toto  the  Slim, —  I'm  both  of  these. 
To  Rondo  quick  his  son  now  bring, 
And  he  will  greet  thee  as  his  king." 
Then  a  grimace  and  a  gay  laugh 
And  twirl  of  his  beloved  mustache, 
Or  that  part  of  his  tiny  face 
Which  once  had  been  the  mustache's  place, 
Toto  the  elf,  with  saucy  bow, 
Said  to  the  maid,  as  he  bowed  low, 
"  Sorry  to  cause  thee  so  much  pain, 
But  I  will  not  offend  again." 

Then  suddenly  sliding  down  the  tree,  Toto 


THE    LITTLE    GRAY    MANS    DECISION.        233 

the  Slim  disappeared  before  the  giant  recovered 
from  the  surprise  the  elf's  words  had  caused 
him. 

When  he  fully  realized  the  extent  to  which 
he  had  been  duped,  King  Cloudcatcher  flew 
into  a  great  rage.  His  angry  bellows  rever 
berated  among  the  hills  and  startled  every  living 
creature  for  miles  about.  The  other  giants 
hastened  to  the  assistance  of  their  king,  and 
between  his  yells  of  rage  they  managed  to  un 
derstand  the  cause  of  the  disturbance.  The 
impulsive  fellows  quickly  espoused  the  quarrel 
of  their  king. 

"  War  to  the  dwarfs  !  Trample  them  to  death  ! 
Batter  down  their  gates  !  "  cried  the  giants  ex 
citedly  as  they  assembled  in  front  of  King 
Rondo's  castle. 

"Take  thy  club,  Twigtwister,  and  batter 
against  yon  door!  "  cried  the  king.  "And  do 
thou,  Rockroller,  bring  one  of  thy  largest 
bowlders." 

Selecting  a  massive  oak  that  grew  half  way 
down  the  hill,  Twigtwister,  bending  to  tin- 
task,  uprooted  it  and  bore  it  to  the  top  of  tlu 
hill.  At  the  same  moment  Rockroller  ap 
peared,  bending  beneath  the  weight  of  a  gigan- 


234       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

tic  rock  that  he  had  brought  from  the  valley 
below. 

Hastily  stripping  off  the  sturdy  branches  of 
the  old  oak  as  if  they  had  been  twigs,  the  giant 


Twigtwister  seized  the  topmost  part  of  the 
tree  securely  in  his  huge  right  hand,  and,  swing 
ing  it  about  his  head,  brought  it  down  with 
great  force  against  the  wall  of  rock. 


THE    LITTLE    GRAY    MANS    DECISION.         235 

The  hill  shook  under  the  heavy  blow,  and 
in  a  moment  Rockroller's  huge  rock  came 
crashing  against  it  with  such  violence  that 
the  earth  shook  and  the  wall  gave  way  percep 
tibly. 

"Ply  thy  club,  Twigtwister,  and  do  thou 
hurl  another  of  thy  bowlders,"  ordered  the  giant 
king.  "A  few  more  such  blows  and  the  dwarfs 


are  ours." 


Once  more  the  giant  Twigtwister's  club 
battered  against  the  rocky  door,  and  again 
came  Rockroller's  stone  against  it,  and  with 
a  loud  report  down  came  the  rocky  door, 
shattered  to  fragments.  Within  were  seen  a 
crowd  of  terrified  gnomes  huddled  together, 
and  at  the  sight  of  them  the  giants  rent  the 
air  with  shouts  of  victorv. 

•/ 

"Twist  their  heads  off!  Toss  them  into 
yonder  ocean ! "  cried  the  giants  furiously  as 
they  made  a  rush  for  their  victims. 

"Stop!  Stir  not  one  foot!"  cried  a  voice 
that  caused  the  giants  to  stand  as  if  rooted  to 
the  spot.  With  one  accord  they  turned  their 
eyes  toward  the  voice,  and  beheld  the  little 
man  in  gray  standing  behind  them  on  the 
crest  of  the  hill. 


236       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

The  giants,  a  moment  before  so  turbulent 
and  ferocious,  now  stood  like  lambs  before 
their  master.  Very  stern  was  the  countenance 
of  the  little  man  in  gray  as  he  looked  at  the 
great  fellows  with  their  powerful  bodies  and 

childish  brains.     For  some  time  he  regarded 

o 

them  in  silence,  then,  with  bent  brows  and  up 
lifted  finger,  he  spoke :  — 

"  Is  this  the  way  ye  keep  the  peace,  ye  great 
blundering  fellows?  Have  ye  so  soon  forgot 
ten  the  compact  ?" 

"  Master,"  answered  Cloudcatcher  humbly, 
"we  had  sore  grievance.  A  trick,  a  most  das 
tardly  trick,  was  played  against  us.  The  dwarf 
prince — " 

"  Enough  ! "  cried  the  little  gray  man  angrily. 
"  Ye  have  shown  that  my  gnomes  and  ye 
cannot  dwell  in  peace  together,  therefore 
must  ye  part.  Rondo,  come  hither,"  he 
added,  beckoning  to  the  gnome  king,  who  at 
once  approached  and  made  a  low  obeisance. 
"  Henceforth  shalt  thou  keep  well  to  thy  do 
mains  within  the  hill.  Extend  thy  realms  as 
far  underground  as  thou  wilt,  but  seek  not  to 
attempt  thy  mischievous  pranks  above  ground, 
else  thou  shalt  forfeit  thy  fairy  domains,  and 


THE    LITTLE    GRAY    MANS    DECISION.         237 

be  banished  to  far-off  lands.  Come  hither, 
friends,"  continued  the  little  gray  man,  beckon 
ing  to  the  rover  and  his  family,  who,  searching 
for  the  missing  \Vassa,  had  heard  the  tumult 
caused  by  the  giants,  and  had  ascended  the  hill 
to  learn  the  cause  of  the  commotion.  "Conic 
hither,  friends,  and  harken  to  my  words.  Thou 
art  well  known  to  me.  Thy  daughter  ha> 
been  taught  a  lesson  that  she  will  not  soon 
forget,  and  I  command  thee  to  keep  at  peace 
with  thy  neighbors.  In  future  thou  shalt 
have  the  right  to  fish  only  in  the  waters  of 
yonder  lake,  and  till  the  land  that  lies  about  it. 
No  farther  shalt  thou  go,  neither  shalt  thou 
cast  thy  nets  in  any  other  waters.  If  thou 
shouldst  disobey  me,  even  that  will  be  taken 
from  thee,  and  thou  must  go  to  less  pleasant 
lands. 

"As  for  ye,  my  big  and  turbulent  children," 
continued  the  little  man  in  gray,  addressing 
the  giants  once  more,  '•  ye  are  too  dangerous 
when  ye  become  angry,  and  ye  must  depart 
to  yonder  far-away  mountains  where  ye  will 
find  nobody  to  injure.  Now  go,  for  the  journey 
is  a  long  one." 

The  giants  dared  not  disobey  the  little  man 


238       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

in  gray,  and  sorrowfully  departed  for  what  are 
now  known  as  the  Rocky  Mountains.  They 
were  attached  to  the  Blue  Hill  where  they  had 
lived  for  so  many  generations,  and  left  it  re 
luctantly.  Ere  they  passed  out  of  sight  they 
paused  to  take  a  last  look  at  the  familiar  line 
of  hills,  on  which  the  rosy  rays  of  the  setting 
sun  were  falling,  —  a  parting  look  at  the  "land 
of  the  After-glow."  They  sorrowfully  watched 
the  sun  sink  behind  the  trees,  and  as  it  disap 
peared  the  giant  king  gave  expression  to  his 
regret  in  a  stamp  of  his  mighty  foot  that  left 
its  impression  on  the  solid  rock  on  which  he 
stood ;  then  they  left  the  region  forever. 

The  rock  on  which  the  giant  stamped  might 
have  been  seen,  until  within  a  few  years,  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Blue  Hill,  where  it  was  known 
as  "The  Devil's  Rock."  Many  and  many 
times  have  visitors  climbed  the  huge  bowlder 
to  gaze  at  the  impress  of  the  giant's  foot,  half 
believing,  as  the  tradition  ran,  that  the  king  of 
evil  himself  had  set  his  stamp  there.  The  writer 
however,  dear  readers,  has  never  had  any  faith 
in  that  story,  for,  if  that  had  been  the  case, 
would  not  the  print  have  taken  the  shape  of  a 
cloven  foot  ?  Much  pleasanter  is  it  to  think 


THE    LITTLE    GRAY    MANS    DECISION. 

of  it  as  the  footprint  of   the  disappointed  giant 
king,  Cloudcatcher,  as  he  left  his  old  home. 

The  rover  and  his  family  obeyed  the  com 
mands  of  the  little  man  in  gray,  and  so  well 
did  the  arrangement  work  that  the  rover's  and 
the  hunter's  families  became  fast  friends,  and 
in  course  of  time  cultivated  much  of  the  land 
in  the  vicinity  of  Blue  Hill. 

As  for  the  gnomes,  those  busy  sprites  re 
mained  in  their  underground  home,  extending 
their  domains  and  attending  strictly  to  their 
own  business. 

The  blue  dragon-fly,  after  her  imprisonment, 
lost  much  of  her  haughty  demeanor,  but  her 
love  of  pleasure  never  left  her,  and  has  been 
transmitted  to  her  descendants,  who  to  thi> 
day  maybe  seen  sporting  over  the  calm  watn- 
of  the  lakes  that  surround  Blue  Hill. 

The  brown  beetle,  too,  lived  a  long  and  use 
ful  life,  conscientiously  doing  his  duty  in  hi> 
little  world,  and  always  retaining  his  admi 
ration  for  the  beautiful  blue  dragon-fly. 

As  for  the  elves,  it  seems  as  if  the  harmless, 
gay  little  creatures  must  be  still  in  their  old 
homes,  for  there  are  some  people  who  think 
they  have  caught  glimpses  of  them  dancing 


240       THE    FAIRY-FOLK    OF    THE    BLUE    HILL. 

around  the  fairy  spring  that  to  this  day  remains 
on  Blue  Hill,  and  these  same  people  have 
often  seen  what  looked  very  like  the  roguish 
face  of  Toto  the  Slim,  downy  mustache  and 
all,  looking  out  of  the  wild  flowers. 

One  thing  is  certain,  the  "land  of  the  After 
glow  "  still  remains.  Its  rosy  light  glows  long 
after  the  sun  has  sunk  behind  the  western 
woods ;  but  whether  the  little  man  in  gray  still 
makes  this  region  his  home  is  a  doubtful  point. 
The  writer  has  sometimes  thought  she  saw 
him  vanishing  in  his  sudden  way  as  she  came 
upon  him,  but  very  sensible  people  have  told 
her  it  was  a  freak  of  her  imagination,  and  very 
likely  they  were  right ;  but  she  is  sure  that  she 
has  often  seen  —  no,  on  second  thought  she 
will  not  say  what  she  has  seen,  for  you,  too, 
dear  readers,  might  think  she  imagined  it, 
and  that  would  grieve  her  sorely. 


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